Unexpected Betrayal
by allegedavarice
Summary: "Well, Ichigo, it seems as if you're about to be in some trouble and I came to warn you. You're father here intercepted me. Otherwise, I would have come straight to you and bypassed Isshin altogether." Full summary inside.
1. Begin

_**Greed: Alright. Authors Note time. Go this idea from many different places. Mainly from watching the 110 years in the past episodes and reading Bleach when Shinji and the others come in. Just kind of pretend that Ichigo never met the Vizards within the manga, but the events of the past still happened (obviously, because that is where the hougyoku comes from). But everything else is the same. And this is after the newest chapters where Ichigo has his powers back. The Vizards were elsewhere helping out, and Kisuke was the one to help him with his hollow problem. (Like I said, make me happy and PRETEND DAMMIT!) Hee Hee=] Anyhow… on to the summary. Also, I know the Vizards aren't being hunted anymore (I mean, obviously, because Hirako, Kensei, and Love were reinstated as captains) but, don't ruin my fun! In this little AU they are still hated and hunted. Mean old Soul Society! Any other inconsistencies with the story, you can just ignore. There will be some, FYI. I just don't care enough to list more that the major change=] I'm so lazy!**_

_**Summary: Ichigo comes under suspicion once again. First, he has to save Rukia. Next, the teen has to disregard Soul Society orders and go to save Orihime. Then, it is Soul Society wishing to test his loyalties and see if he will side with Ginjou. Now The Captain Commander had caught wind of his inner hollow. The only people who really knew about the hollow were Rukia, Renji, and Byakuya. Now things were different. Ichigo must find a way to hide from Soul Society, forced to run from his former allies and friends. What causes Soul Society's sudden betrayal?**_

_**Disclaimer: I only own the plot…. Sadly, Bleach is not of my making. If it were… everyone would probably have even more problems than they already did. Heehee!**_

_**Warning: Blood and gore. OOCness. Violence. Mental breakdowns. All around disturbing. Enjoy. Just please, don't decide to eat your hearts out or anything. I'd rather not have to clean up the excess blood from the reviews you send in ^w^**_

_**Vanity: Can we get to the story now?**_

…

**Prologue…**

The wind howled.

There was nothing moving but the leaves on almost naked trees.

Further along the empty streets there was nothing human eyes could see. Yet there was something beyond human vision. Black clothes rustled in the foreboding wind, trailing behind an orange headed youth. Silent footsteps land upon the earth and roofs of houses as the teen flashes deeper into the unfamiliar city. Frantic eyes swept the area as his mind searched for reasons that this could have happened. Ribbons of spirit energy crept passed his shield that was supposed to keep it hidden from the world. Shit. This was anything but good, the boy thought as dark figures appeared a short distance to his right.

This was really not good.

...

**Begin… Chapter 1**

Ichigo noticed two things that were odd when he got up. First, his father hadn't barged into his room screaming and trying to smash his head in. Second, there were voices downstairs. Given, his father did run a clinic. However, the teen would have been woken earlier if it was indeed an emergency.

The redhead looked at his alarm clock. 8:32. On a Saturday. Also strange. Most of the time, it was quiet until almost ten on a Saturday morning. Ichigo moved to get out of bed and pulled on a black t-shirt to cover his bare torso. His pajama pants sagged low on his hips as he moved out of the bedroom. As he descended the stairs his dad's voice drifted into his ears from the kitchen. He was obviously upset about something. His voice was ragged, almost as if he was trying to keep himself from screaming. And then he was interrupted. By Urahara Kisuke. What the hell was Hat and Clogs doing here?

"Isshin, enough! I know that this is a worrying situation, but you cannot go into a panic because of it. You and I have gotten through worse and with a lot more people in tow."

"Yes, I know that. But this time it is my son that is about to be thrown to the wolves. How am I supposed to remain calm when it involves my family?" Isshin spat at the shopkeeper. Ichigo was now standing outside the kitchen door. Both men within the room were too consumed by the ongoing conversation to pay attention to the reiatsu Ichigo was unconsciously letting slip out. "Ichigo does not need to go through this right now! My son is on antidepressants and other medication to deal with the stress that Soul Society has already put him through. He cannot take this much longer without horrible consequences. And now this!" Ichigo heard a loud bang. Ishin must have hit the wall or table with his fist. And what was with the talk of Soul Society? Did his father know about it all? About Aizen and Ginjou, Rukia and Kon? Just how much did he know?

"I may not know what it is like to have a son, but you need to pull yourself together for this, Ishin. The order that the Captain Commander put into action is not something that can be pushed aside. We cannot hide this time, because it is your son that they are looking for. Ichigo cannot hide his spirit pressure, and he already has a body, so a gigai is out of the question unless we want the body to die. I could make a device, but it would take me some time to get the frequencies to match Ichigo's in order to hide him accurately. And teaching him will take too long. However, that might be our only option at this point." Urahara started to move about the room. His sandals making barely any noise as he headed toward the living room.

Ichigo stayed where he was. He needed to know what was happening. Not later when they decided to tell him, but now. He also wished to know exactly how the shopkeeper knew his father. Call it a hunch, but it just didn't seem that they had met just out of the blue.

Kisuke's gray eyes widened as he saw the orange haired male outside the doorway. "Kurosaki-kun, uh, what a pleasant surprise!" he exclaimed, hiding half of his expression behind his ever present fan. "Isshin, it would seem we had an ease dropper."

The goat faced man walked out of the kitchen behind the hatted blonde. "Ichigo, how much of that did you hear?" his father asked.

"When Urahara told you it was enough and not to panic. What's going on Mr. Hat and Clogs? Why are you even here?"

"Well, Ichigo, it seems as if you're about to be in some trouble and I came to warn you," the older man stated, using a more serious tone. "You're father here intercepted me. Otherwise, I would have come straight to you and bypassed Isshin altogether." That last part was said with some humor, at which Isshin glared.

"And you were going to have him run off to god knows were, just like the last two times!" the usually hyperactive man burst. "I know you're trying to help him, but you could at least have the decency to talk to him _and_ me about these things!" Isshin turned to his son. "And you need to learn that you can come and talk to me."

Ichigo heard the hurt in his voice and it made him mad. "Come and talk to you? How can I come and talk to someone who is constantly bouncing off the walls and trying to smash my head in? You are constantly in my face about one thing or another. You haven't proven to me that you are even an ounce more mature than a five year old. Also, what about _your_ secrets? You could have come and talked to me over two years ago when you first became aware that I had become a shinigami! Yet, here we are, me finding out that you have connections to Soul Society and never told said a thing! How am I supposed to come to you with my problems when you can't even say a thing about your own?" The teen's breath was coming in short pants when he finished his tirade. His father looked away in shame as his son confronted him with the obvious truth.

"Goat face? Ichi-nii? What's going on?" called a light voice from upstairs. "And why are you hear?" she asked of Urahara.

Everyone looked up to see Karin with a sleepy Yuzu behind her. Shock was on the dark headed girl's face, while the other was trying to sort out what was happening. "Karin, Yuzu, he's hear to help me explain some things to dad." Ichigo looked at his sisters for a moment before continuing. "I'm going to be staying with him for a while and helping out with his shop." It was the summer so it wouldn't be that strange that he was going away for a bit. "Dad was just upset that I wouldn't be spending as much time with everyone this year."

The girl looked down at him skeptically, but thought better of saying anything against her older brother. "Alright," Karin said slowly. "Just be careful, Ichi-nii."

"And you have to come visit!" Yuzu called down the stair, naively believing her older brother's story.

Ichigo smiled at his little sisters. "Of course I will," he lied again. There was no telling if he would be able to come back anytime soon. He still had to sort out what exactly was going on. "I'm going to leave tonight, so we'll eat lunch together. Deal?" he asked. The girls nodded enthusiastically then went back into their shared room. The redhead looked at the older men. "Can we please sit at the table and have a more civil talk?" he hissed. Both men nodded.

They shuffled into the smallish kitchen and settled around the table. "Now," Ichigo stated calmly. Explain to me exactly what is going on."

Urahara sighed and looked to Isshin as if for permission. When the goat faced doctor nodded, the blonde man opened his mouth to speak. "Well, Kurosaki-kun, it seems as if you're in trouble with Soul Society. In all actuality, you should be going into hiding right now. But seeing as that will only put Soul Society on high alert, I wouldn't recommend that. Since there are no current threats to the peace, they've place a certain command as top priority. And that priority order is you. You are aware that the Vizards originated from Aizen and that I had to use the hougyoku to help them, correct?" when Ichigo nodded he continued. "Well, they've been on the run from the shinigami ever since, though they did help out with the Winter War from the sidelines. Basically, you just need to know that they are being hunted. And, Kurosaki-kun, you are a Vizard like it or not."

Kisuke paused to let that last message sink into the youth. Ichigo blink slowly as comprehension shined behind his brown orbs. "Why?" was all he could think to say.

"Yoruichi-san was watching over Soul Society and heard that the Captain Commander had not been fully aware of your _condition_ until only recently. He is now intent on following the law to the letter. The order he put out was, 'Ichigo Kurosaki shall be treated as a hollow because of his second nature, and executed as such. He may have helped us with the past, but he cannot be allowed to live with such a dangerous being residing in his soul.' Kurosaki-kun, this isn't easy to hear, but you must understand that they fear the unknown. The same thing happened 110 years ago. Give or take a few years."

"Old man Yama is playing with my son's life!" Isshin grunted out. "You cannot justify this!"

"I am not justifying their actions!" Urahara spat. "What they are doing is wrong. I will say that until I die. However, it is born from fear. Things born from fear have no logic, just action. I say that we need to understand that they fear what Ichigo is! And with knowing that they fear what resides within him, he will be able to better understand the situation he is in."

Ichigo sat in silence, contemplating what was happening around him. Words were sliding into his mind, but finding no grip. Why was he always thrust into things beyond his control? He merely wanted power to protect. Why did he have to keep using that power to push away those that chose to directly harm him? The orange headed male seemed to attract those with power to him. And those that came around him seemed to only know how to harm his life, his family, his friends. And now! Now he was being ripped away from his family!

"How did that old man find out about this? Only Rukia, Renji, and Byakuya knew about my hollow."

"Yoruichi didn't give specifics, but it was mostly likely during one of your fights. A shinigami could have seen you at any time and only reported as recent events transpired. But, we really cannot be sure of that. Assumptions can get you killed, so we should not go there." Kisuke looked at Isshin. "Kon will need to stay in Ichigo's body while he is gone. It'll throw Soul Society off for a while as they organize how they are going to deal with Ichigo. If he leaves tonight, I'd say that would give use at least a week's head start while they prepare."

"There are no guarantees," Isshin said softly. "With things how they are, Genryuusai may wish to get this done immediately. And considering it is Ichigo, there will most definitely not be a grace period before his death. Too much chance of interference." Ichigo knew what he meant. If they captured him, he'd be killed right away. There would be no repentance period as they had given Rukia. He would die before there was ever a chance for a rescue party to form. Isshin looked at his forlorn son. He could not believe he was speaking of his only son's capture and execution like this. Hopefully, Ichigo would get away and he would not have to put another family member to rest.

Urahara looked at the father and son. Both looked deeply depressed by the news. "Isshin, you're right that we cannot accurately judge Yamamoto's decision, but we have to hope. If we have a week, just a week, it could surely help us. It will at least be enough time to help us teach Ichigo to conceal his spirit pressure."

"I know. I know."

Silence permeated the room. Ichigo stood after a moment. It was time for his medication once again. Too much was happening for him to conveniently forget it like he usually did. If this was really happening, he needed to stay focused. This medicine would take the edge off of the depression that was slowly sinking its way into his bones.

**"Awe, king. Are you feeling a bit down in the dumps?**" whispered a cackling voice throughout his inner world. In his head!

'Shiro,' Ichigo thought back coolly. 'What do you want this time?' Ichigo had been having a few problems with his inner hollow as of late. He never wished to shut up. Shiro never tried to take over, but he was always there now. Ichigo was still king, but the horse was never far from the surface.

**"King! I'm hurt! I don't always want something when I come out and talk. You misjudge me so."** A crazed laugh spilled from the inverted Ichigo's lips, slipping past grinning teeth.

'I'm not in the mood. Didn't you hear any of that just now? We are about to be hunted. Surely you know that this is not a good thing for either one of us. If I die, so do you.' Ichigo opened his bathroom medicine cabinet and looked for the correct pills. Two over, one up. Right where he left them. He downed one without getting water. He just needed this mood to go away!

"**Ichigo, Ichigo! You know those don't help!"** his hollow spoke up. And, in a way, he was right. The pills only let Ichigo think everything was going to be okay when everything was really falling apart. It was a coping method. Nothing more.

'Why don't you just shut up? I'm going to try to sleep some more before lunch. Why don't you be helpful for once and actually be quiet?' Ichigo was fed up with all the talking around him. He heard a faint, watery laugh before there was nothing within his mind but himself. The tired boy sighed as he made his way from the bathroom to his bedroom. This was going to be interesting.

…

Yuzu knocked on her brother's door to get him up for lunch. He promised he'd eat with them.

"Ichi-nii? Lunch is read! I made all of your favorites."

The redhead stirred as he heard his sister knock. The prospect of lunch was almost nauseating. But he got up and opened the door to Yuzu standing there. A false smile spread across his face. "I'll be down in a minute. Let me wash my face and hands." The teen watched as the light haired girl smiled brightly then turned away to go back downstairs.

Ichigo had to go down and see his family. It may be the last time for quite a while before he could see them again.

"**Oh, King! Don't be sad. You'll always have me," **came a whispered, mocking call from the depths of his psyche. Ichigo ignored his obnoxious, inverted self and continued to the bathroom. The mirror showed him something he didn't wish to see. Dark circles enveloped the lower part of his eyes. His skin was almost as pale as Shiro's. And, last, but not least, the teen's eyes were a lighter brown than they had been last night. It reminded him of whenever his inner demon came out to play. The oranget put that out of his head for now. Shiro was not taking over. Hell, they never even really fought anymore. It was just the uneasy sleep he had just had.

Finishing cleaning himself up, Ichigo started downstairs. His father was walking from the clinic section of the house into the kitchen as well. Both were silent and brooding.

As they entered the kitchen, Isshin smiled at his two daughters, acting as if nothing was seriously wrong. Ichigo wore a slightly more serious scowl, but otherwise looked normal. Yuzu was smiling and talking about school and other insignificant things very animatedly. Karin was watching her brother and father. The tomboyish girl had always been too perceptive.

"So," the darker headed girl started as Yuzu placed plates of food on the table, "you're going to stay at the Urahara shop for the summer?" Everyone stopped their activities at that little inquisition. Isshin shuffle the food on his plate, Yuzu's smile slipped a little, and Ichigo just scowled.

"Yeah," the teen said slowly. "Urahara needs help with the shop, so I'll be running errands and stuff like that. I'll probably only be at the store during the nights to sleep."

"Why don't you just stay here and commute to the shop every day?" the girl asked, anger held tightly in her voice.

"Seems easier to just focus on the job while I'm there," Ichigo said carefully. "Why is it even a problem?"

Karin snorted and continued eating, ignore the question from her older brother. He didn't deserve an answer if he didn't know that she knew about his 'secret' activities involving him running around with a sword. The girl was sure that this had something to do with that superfluous activity. Urahara was, after all, strange, just like his friends Rukia and Renji. They just _felt_ _different_. Different like her brother.

The tension in the room gradually lessened as Yuzu started talking nonsense about anything and everything. Once again, they were a happy, and anything but normal, family. At least until later that night.

…

_**Greed: Alright! End of the first chapter. Please no flame, though I can take constructive criticism. This is my first work I am uploading to Fanfic, though, it is not my only work. I have tons, just none that I really wish to upload. I'd have to change the names of characters, you see. Anyway… Please review=] I think that would make me so happy! And if I'm not happy… well, I just don't know what would happen to poor Ichigo! *threatening vibe* **_

_**Vanity: Greed is serious here. Review or Ichigo may not make it through the next few chapters. Believe me, she'll do it.**_

_**Greed: You bet I will!**_


	2. Escape

_**Thank you Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo and Shirosaki 413 for reviewing! And Shirosaki 413, here is the chapter you wish so much for! Hope it is something you will enjoy! (please don't murder us!) Then we really couldn't update! Didn't think about that, did ya! Haha. Enjoy, anyone and everyone that favorite or followed us!**_

_**Vanity: Hello again, kiddies! New chapter up for grabs! Yummy! And just so you know, thing start to get violent. My favorite thing. Meow. It'll be later on in the chapter, however. (Damn) But, look forward to it! I know I am!**_

_**Greed: Shut the hell up, Vanity! You talk too much. Story time!**_

_**Vanity: As I recall, you spoke quite a bit more than me in the last chapter. In fact, you got the entire intro besides the last sentence. **_

_**Greed: *grumbles* Whatever.**_

_**Vanity: Anyway, we don't own! Obviously. Please continue on.**_

…

**Escape… Chapter 2**

It was 8 o'clock.

Urahara was waiting at the door for Ichigo to say goodbye to his father and sisters. A duffle bag was slung over his shoulder and an ever present scowl graced his face. He looked to his dad as he watched his sisters slowly ascend up the staircase. When they were out of sight he spoke. "Kon will stay in my body and visit occasionally. Karin and Yuzu might notice something, but hopefully seeing me will put them at ease a bit." He paused. "Don't let Kon do anything stupid with my body, though."

Isshin's normally goofy face was drawn in serious lines. He didn't resemble his goat faced self. "Just learn what you need to in order to be okay, my son. I don't want to see even one new scar on you." Ichigo snorted at that. Both men knew that wouldn't be possible, but Ichigo lied anyway.

"Of course I won't let those bastards even touch me."

The father of the teen clasped his son's shoulder. "I mean it, Ichigo, be careful and come back. I don't care if we have to move away in order to live with you. We'll do anything it takes to stay together. Learn quickly so that we can be a family again."

Ichigo's eyes dropped to the ground. "If I can learn bankai in three days, I think I can do this. I'll come back soon. No doubt about it," he said confidently. His eyes held a fierce light as he looked back up. His father finally pulled the teen into a hug.

"Kurosaki-kun," Kisuke interrupted. "I hate to be a bother, but we need to leave. Scouts will end up around Karakura town at any time, and it would be best to avoid them as much as possible." The Getaboshi opened his fan in front of his face. His eyes were uncharacteristically serious while his posture was relaxed. The shopkeeper watched as the father and son split apart. Ichigo walked toward him and they exited the clinic-house combo. The blonde even watched out of the corner of his eyes as the teenager looked back toward his home. Things would be hard for the teen. Well, harder than they already had been. Betrayal was not something a child should go through, Kisuke decided. It just wasn't right. This world wasn't right.

…

Day 2

It had been two days since Ichigo had come to Urahara's shop.

After the first night, Ichigo had placed Kon within his corporeal body and went down to the training ground with Urahara and Tessai. Kon stayed in the upper part of the store and helped Jinta and Ururu out. Everything was hectic during that first full day of training.

"Ichigo! You keep letting it escape. That'll end up getting you hurt!" Urahara shouted from behind his fan. "You must imagine all of it within you! Gather the reiatsu within you and hold it like you would your breath!"

"There's too damn much of it to hold on for to long! It feels like it'll rip me to shreds!" The orange haired teen complained.

"Well," Getaboshi sighed with a small laugh escaping him, "if you continue with things like this, you'll certainly succeed in tearing the training area apart. Besides, it is your spirit pressure. You were born with it, it will not kill you. Stop fearing things you do not understand." Ichigo looked around himself as Urahara spoke. Sure enough, the rocks and dirt around him were flattened into nothing. He'd been too focused on his spirit pressure to notice his surroundings.

**"I've got an idea, King…"**__a voice echoed throughout his mind.

'I really do not have time for this, hollow,' Ichigo thought to his counterpart.

"**It's a good idea, though,"** the creature almost whined, trying to persuade his host into listening. The teen that housed the hollow hesitated a moment.

'I'll listen… but it had better be worth the time,' the teen sighed reluctantly.

A twisted laugh reached every corner of his mind. **"Oh, it will be. Why don't I try holding 'alf the power and then ye the other half. We could split the burden for now. Then I'll gradually feed it to ye until ye can hold it all with no problem. It's a simple idea, we just have to get it perfect. What do ye say?"** Shiro asked. It really was a good idea. One thing that bothered the substitute shinigami, however, was the fact that his hollow was helping him. What gives? They were supposed to be fighting over control. The white skinned Ichigo picked up on his host's thoughts. **"I don't want yer body to die just yet. I'll 'ave to take control while in a dangerous spot. I won't 'ave perfect control for a while, so I don't wish to die by accident,"** the parasite explained. **"Right now, ye have the best chance of surviving with me 'elping from the sidelines."**

It almost comforted Ichigo that at least this aspect of his life didn't really change. Even though it meant continued struggle for control over his body.

'Fine, I'll try it. But if it doesn't work, we'll have to try something different.' Ichigo heard a cackle as a reply. Taking it to mean that the hollow was ready, the youth started gathering his massive energy. It took half the time to store everything within himself, because he only took half while Shiro took the other. It was definitely easier to hold, but it still hurt, like he needed to breathe but couldn't. Slowly, he exhaled his breath, keeping his reiatsu within him this time. As the uncomfortable feeling left he gave the go ahead to Shiro to feed him the other half of the spirit pressure.

The white figure slowly gave the tanner version of him the other half of the energy. Though he was tempted to force the whole amount into the boy and see what would happen, he refrained. It would do him no good if Ichigo was damaged now.

Ichigo sighed as the last of his excessive reiatsu was forced into his spirit body. He opened his brown eyes that he had not realized he had closed. Urahara wasn't that far from him. Tessai was a little further away. They both looked at the boy, waiting to see if that massive pressure would surge back out of his body in a destructive wave. When it didn't, Urahara snapped his fan closed and went closer to the boy, wearing a large smile.

"Magnificent! I can't even feel a whisper of energy from you. But what exactly did you do?" His expression went from happy to curious. "I've never felt something like that before. It was as if two people had removed their reiatsu from the air simultaneously." Of course, the ex-captain had an idea of what happened, but he wanted to hear it from his student.

"My hollow helped me," Ichigo said quietly. It was as if, suddenly, the teen thought Urahara and Tessai would hate him for his hollow. He would not look up to acknowledge the praise give or speak louder than that.

"Ichigo," the biggest man in the training room boomed. "We do not judge you for how you were born. We helped the Vizards all those years ago. Do not fear that we will betray you." Tessai always seemed to know what to say. The usually silent man was very observant.

An orange colored head finally moved up to look at them. Even if they reassured him, there would always be doubt. However, for now, Ichigo would put his distrust aside. These men truly were helping him right now. Why would they help him in such a situation if they didn't care? Hell, Getaboshi even came to his house to warn him. Even if things got rough, Urahara was indeed reliable. For the most part. He could leave out information for his own purposes, but he had never steered the teen wrong before.

"Want to explain now?" Urahara asked softly.

An almost nonexistent sigh left Ichigo's lips. "Sure. My hollow suggested the idea. I was reluctant to listen, but it was a pretty good idea. I took half of my energy and he took the other. After we gathered the spirit pressure he fed me the other half of the energy. I was worried he'd try to push it all into me at once," the shinigami teen laughed nervously at that. "Thank god he didn't."

Tessai looked at the shopkeeper and could see the slight alarm he felt at that last part. He watched as Kisuke quickly rained in his small reaction and laughed like he normally would. "Well, I suppose it's good for all of us that he didn't do that." He didn't tell Ichigo what it would have done, though. He didn't want to frighten the young boy. And seventeen was such a young age compared to the hundreds Tessai and he had lived. "Anyway, why don't you relax down here and see how long you can keep your spirit pressure confined. I'll have Ururu or Tessai bring you down some food in a while." Both the merchant and the muscleman went to the ladder then ascended into the shop above.

Ichigo watched them until Tessai's last foot disappeared. Then he went to see what he could do with his reiatsu hidden.

…

Ururu lightly jumped off the last few rungs of the ladder, skillfully avoiding dropping the food for Ichigo-kun. When she looked around to find the older boy she was surprise at what she saw.

There was Ichigo, with his zanpakuto drawn. He was moving fluidly along the ground of the training room. It was strange to see him actually relaxing into the poses rather than slicing at everything that was too close. Yet, here the teen was, calm and collected. Though, his scowl was still in place.

Soon, the redhead seemed to notice eyes upon him. He stopped and turned to look who it was. Ururu stood not too far off with a tray of food in her hands. The boy stuck the tip of Zangetsu into the ground and walked to the girl. "Hey, Ururu. Thanks for bringing me some food."

The shy girl nodded and gave a small, "You're welcome," before handing him the food. She then turned tail and almost ran up the ladder to the shop.

**"Hey, King! Do ye think she's scared o' ya?"** Shiro asked from the depths of Ichigo's mind.

"No, Ururu has always been like that unless she's fighting. Don't try to confuse me by saying untrue things." Ichigo was speaking out loud to his hollow, but it wasn't as if he never did that. Only when people were around did he speak complete within his thoughts. The tray he held was filled with steaming rice and a meat cooked with carrots and broccoli. Ichigo's stomach growled making him realize that he hadn't really eaten much lately.

"**Did you just admit yer easily confused?"** Shiro questioned with a laugh. The boy snarled but didn't reply. He was far too busy devouring the food before him.

The oranget was about to finish up his food when there seemed to be a commotion coming from upstairs. The only reason he heard anything was because the door above the ladder was opened and Jinta was hurrying his way down. Halfway down, he dropped. Ichigo rushed over to see if he was alright and got a nasty surprise. There was a stain across the younger boy's shirt. Red. Blood. But there was no visible wound. Thank god. Then Jinta jumped up and grabbed Ichigo's wrist. "Strawberry-head! Shinigami are upstairs! You need to get out of here."

Ichigo put aside the insult because of the situation. Otherwise the boy before him would have had a knot on his head. He started to go toward the ladder.

"What are you doing?" Jinta practically screeched.

"Going to help. Obviously someone is hurt out there!" Ichigo tugged on his arm, forcing Jinta to be pulled along behind the teen.

"No! That's what their waiting for. Just stay here! Kisuke can take care of himself and everyone else. You need to leave!" Jinta was panicking. Everything Urahara was doing would be in vain if this idiot went up the ladder. Whenever the crazy man hadn't been helping Ichigo, he had been making a devise that put out a frequency that felt like the substitute shinigami's reiatsu. The shopkeeper had placed the devise on Kon and told him to run away then discard the thing. As long as Ichigo kept his spirit pressure concealed, everything would be fine. The smaller boy pulled at Ichigo's wrist. "There's an exit on the other side of the training grounds. It'll take us to the next block over. We have to go there."

"But-"

"No, no buts. Tessai and Kisuke are captain class ex-shinigami. They can deal with a few regular punks like the ones out there."

Ichigo let the kid take him further into the training room. Soon they reached a boulder that Jinta seemed to find interesting. He moved around the thing with an annoyed expression. "What are you doing?" Ichigo hissed.

"Shut up, baka! I kinda forgot the key code, give me a second!" the boy shouted.

"You forgot!" The teen put a hand on Jinta's head in what looked like anger. Ichigo's voice came out menacingly, "You had better remember within the next five seconds or I'm turning around and forcing my way out." This was not a threat, either. Ichigo had every intention of turning around. And he even started to before Jinta jumped up and grabbed his arm again.

"No, don't! I remember now, just give me a sec!" The crude boy went back to the boulder and searched for a panel. Soon he was punching in an absurd amount of letters. After a minute he was done and a door opened up within the oversized rock. "Alright. Let's get going!"

As they both enter the tunnel hidden by the large stone, Ichigo wondered about something. "What the hell kind of password did you have to use for that thing?"

"Stupid Urahara put the code as a short list of minerals you can only find in Soul Society. There's an emergency code, too, but Ururu and Kisuke just changed it. They were supposed to tell Tessai and me about it, but then this came up. Stupid shinigami, coming at the wrong time! I ought to go right back up there and give them a piece of my mind!" Jinta acted like he was hitting a baseball with a bat. "Can't believe they had to come at the stupidest time ever. Had to freaking remember those stupid elements I thought I forgot."

Ichigo listened to the boy mumble to himself and wanted to laugh.

After a short time, the two of them emerged from a manhole the next block over. And right into a trap.

…

Urahara was just knocking out the last intruder when a suppressive reiatsu was unleashed around Karakura town. That spirit pressure was stifling. And, judging by Tessai's and Ururu's sudden fatigue, very heavy. That powerful energy was easy to recognize. It belonged to none other than Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Squad 11. And it was headed right toward where Ichigo and Jinta were.

The owner of the shop also caught the edge of Mayuri Kurotsuchi's energy and Soi Fon's almost hidden power. Three captain class shinigami were after the head of one teenage boy. What could possibly go wrong here?

…

Jinta dropped to his hands and knees under the oppressive weight of Kenpachi's crushing power. Ichigo was still on his feet, however. The pressure wasn't affecting him as it did the child beside him. The teen looked worriedly at the younger boy. He had to get away from here.

Kenpachi was still quite a bit away, so Ichigo grabbed Jinta and put him back into the passageway they had just exited. Then he sprinted away from the houses and streets closest to him. It would do not good to get innocent people involved in his fight.

He let some of his spirit pressure leak out so that the other two captains with the battle loving brute could follow him and not find Jinta. It proved to not be necessary, however, when a large body dropped down almost on top of him. He rolled away at the last possible second, avoiding Zaraki's rough attack.

Insane laughing, reminiscent of the hollow sharing his soul, echoed around him. It came from Zaraki's large figure. The large man was standing only a few feet away, ragged sword thrown over his shoulder. "Ichigo! What a lovely night, eh?" Kenpachi boomed. "I've been waiting for a rematch for ages!"

Two more captains showed up behind the 11th squad captain. "Captain Kenpachi, we were all asked to subdue the boy, not just fight him," Soi Fon informed the hulking man. Kurotsuchi laughed a bit at that, making the 2nd squad captain turn to him in confusion. "What is wrong with you?"

He laughed again. "The only reason this unsophisticated brute came along was to have a rematch with the boy. Sure, you of all people knew his motives. And mine. I wanted to test out a few things. Would you be a dear and try to put this on him?" the 12th captain asked. The strange man held up what looked like a set of bracelets. Black with blue edges, the devices look like any normal fashion statement. Knowing the researcher, though, they were far from normal… or pleasant.

"Tell me what they are for first," the Black Op Captain hissed. This was getting nowhere. They didn't to capture the boy or kill him now. Ridiculous business like Zaraki's was a waste of time for Soul Society. And Mayuri only thought about testing his newest equipment and experimenting on new subjects. How had she gotten stuck with these two again? Oh right. Most of the other captains didn't wish to go after the boy because he had helped them. Blast them.

"Well, the one on your left is to suppress his spirit pressure. I'm not sure how it will affect him, though. His spirit pressure is so high it may only cut it in half. And, of course, he has his hollow that can boost their power almost threefold." The scientist paused as if musing over some new thought. "Anyway, the second one is for his hollow. It emits a sound when in contact with a hollow-like reiatsu. This sound will cause pain for the hollow, and possibly even the Kurosaki boy. I'm not that sure, though. That's why I wanted to test it on a Vizard. I suggest you put the second on him first. It'll keep his hollow from sending out a sudden burst of power that may break the spirit suppresser. But it doesn't matter to me," the man said with a sickly smile. "Either one will yield results, so don't worry if you fail."

Soi Fon fumed from her colleague's biting insults. Though, he seemed to be more indifferent than offensive. It didn't matter. The woman grabbed both bracelets and headed to where Zaraki was attacking the substitute shinigami. The stealthy captain flashed behind Ichigo and was almost successful in latching the first band around the teen's wrist. However, he flashed away and Zaraki almost succeeded in taking off her arm. "Watch what you are doing, Zaraki," she shouted, obviously irritated at the fight-loving captain.

"Why don't you just stay out of my way?" Kenpachi shouted back as he set to searching for his pray once more.

Ichigo watched the small encounter from above. He was curious as to what the sneaky Soi Fon held in her hands. He put his thoughts aside when he decided whatever they were couldn't be good. The bright haired boy would just have to avoid the small captain at all costs.

"**No kidding, Ich-i-go,"** his hollow sang. "**Whatever those are I think that captain over there made them. And he is bad news all around."** Ichigo looked to where his hollow indicated, catching a glimpse of Mayuri Kurotsuchi before having to defend against the two other captains. Kenpachi came from the front while Soi Fon came from the side. Unfortunately, the teen was only about to block Kenpachi's jagged sword, leaving his side open for the other attacker.

Soi Fon's hand came out and attached to the boy's arm. Her other hand latched the bracelet.

_Shit! Shit! Shit!_ Ichigo chanted in his mind as he dropped toward the ground to avoid any other rapid attacks from the two captains above. _What is this thing!_

It wasn't doing anything right now. He still felt his power, he could still move, so what was it supposed to do? **"I don't think I would what to find that out, king." **The hollow was giving commentary for him now. Wonderful. "**Why don't you let me out so I can defeat them quickly?"**

_Because I don't want them killed! I would just use my mask if I wanted that._

"**Wimp," **Shiro scoffed.

Ichigo ignored the ever-present resident within his mind. Before his attackers could get to him first he spun and launched himself at Soi Fon hoping to knock her out first, or at least heavily wound her. Kenpachi had other ideas, regrettably. The black haired male leapt in front of the short captain. He _let_ Ichigo cut him across the chest so that he could grab the oversized cleaver in the boy's grip.

Trapped. Ichigo was trapped with his sword in Zaraki's hand. The bigger man smirked and tilted his head, causing the bells in his hair to jingle cheerfully. "Ichigo! You weren't thinking of fighting someone besides me, were you?" the man asked almost sweetly. Ichigo glared and attempted to kick at the man. When that didn't work, the boy steeled himself. Pressure built up around his spirit body.

"Getsuga Tenshou!" he yelled. From so close, Kenpachi didn't even have time to react before he was sent flying away from the scene. Ichigo's luck proved bad, however, when Soi Fon came at him and slashed across his back with her sword. He cried out as the metal stung his skin. Fighting two captains was going to be impossible once Kenpachi got back up. And if the 12th squad captain decided to join, Ichigo was sure he couldn't win. He only had one choice.

A tanned hand came over his face, forming a claw as he dragged it through seemingly empty air. The space around him got denser as his reiatsu changed, became darker, and thicker. And then a pain in his mind started. A hollow screech left his mouth in a distorted fashion.

There was a ringing in the boy's head that even went so far as to affect his usually unshakable hollow.

Shiro was the horizontal world clutching at his head while Ichigo was outside mirroring his actions. Neither of them could think, the pain was so intense. The two boys didn't even notice as Soi Fon got close enough to slip the other devise onto his opposite wrist. Suddenly they were weaker along with in pain. Shiro wouldn't have that.

The pale version of the bright boy forced himself to the forefront of the soul's mind. He couldn't push past the pain, but he could work with it. The intense agony was something that angered him, and anger would make him stronger if he used it right. A talon like hand came up and gripped the opposite wrist. The one sending out that horrid sound. He pulled and pulled. It would not budge. So he forced out spirit pressure. It caused more pain, but he didn't care right now. If it could overload the stupid thing it would be worth it. One problem was the other bracelet. It was sucking up his excess reiatsu.

…

An inhuman scream echoed throughout the night.

Kisuke and Tessai hurried to where they felt Ichigo's sudden spirit pressure. The ex-captain and ex-kido master got there in time to see a bloody and frowning Kenpachi Zaraki kick a masked Ichigo. The boy seemed as if he didn't even notice the kick that sent him flying as he was still screaming. Soi Fon was rushing to the fallen boy, but didn't reach him as a blast equal to a cero made its way toward her. The tiny captain dodged away from Urahara's attack, putting her further away from her target. Tessai had up several layers of barriers around the 11th squad captain. They wouldn't last long, but it would work for now.

The shopkeeper hurried to his charge. The screaming hand died down to agonized moans. "Ichigo?" the boy's teacher asked.

A pained chuckle was his answer. "_King s'not here right now. Leave a message at the tone_," came a warbled voice, panting through the pain.

Kisuke looked closely at the boy. Yes, this was definitely his hollow half. The set of the mouth, even though in pain, was still greatly amused at something. The eyes were harsher. The ex-captain looked over the rest of the boy, stopping at the bands around both wrists. Before he could say anything, Kisuke had to block Soi Fon once again. After pushing her away he spoke quickly. "Hollow! You need to get Ichigo out here again. One of those bands is causing you pain because of your reiatsu. It's affecting the part of you that is a hollow. Did it not only happen when Ichigo brought out his mask?"

The hollow huffed in annoyance and discomfort. _"Guess I got no choice. But don't thing tha' I won't be back!_" Shiro shouted before retreating into Ichigo's inner world. Ichigo was out and tugging at his mask in an instant.

"Hat and Clogs," the boy whispered around his hoarse throat. "Thanks for telling us that."

"Not a problem, Kurosaki-kun. But you need to leave now. Hide your energy again and then leave. You need to find the Vizards so that you can hide with them." Kisuke blocked an attack from the persistent Soi Fon with Benihime's shield. Kenpachi was about to come at the barriers Tessai had him entrapped in before the Getaboshi spoke to Ichigo. "I'll contact the Vizards so they know to look for you! Go towards Okayama and stay around that area. I'll have them look for you," Kisuke whispered urgently into the Vizard's ear. A worried looked passed through the teen's eyes. He'd listen to his teacher, and hopefully it wouldn't get him killed.

The boy speed off into the distance.

Tessai came behind Urahara. "Kisuke, you haven't had contact with them in years."

The blonde shopkeeper sighed. "I know, but I'll find a way."

…

_**Vanity: Another chapter down! Whoot whoot! And a bit of clarification in case you may not have noticed…. We accidently put this as a Shinji/Ichigo fic because of our blondeness. For some odd reason we figured that Shinji actually said Shiro when we knew for a fact that there was no Shiro tab listed. Brilliant on our part, I know. But there is your clarification!**_

_**Greed: It was all her fault, I swear I had nothing to do with it!**_

_**Vanity: *hits Greed* Shut up, you! Anyway, we hope you enjoyed this chapter. Also, please review=] Ideas and such are also greatly welcomed! It could help chapters come out faster.**_

_**Greed: And one more thing! We are sorry, but this will probably not develop into a full blown (haha) yaoi. There will, of course, be a few sexual things between Ichi and Shiro, but it probably won't go all the way. The reason being, is the fact that if we write sex into this, it'll be nothing but that. And we really wanted a serious foundation to our story. Sorry if this disappoints all you fans out there, but it is the way we wish to write. Besides… we'll most likely have a complete yaoi chapter out with only Shiro/Ichi. Make a suggestion about the setting and situation and we'll get right on it! **_


	3. Salvation?

_**Greed: Another chapter for those that have showed there love! And I mean love as in, "Thank you for not killing us!" Here are some answers to reviews that have been sent.**_

_**deidrasha the fallen angel: glad you enjoyed the mayhem! Heehee=] I will always enjoy a confidence booster like your review!**_

_**Anon6: I am well aware of the fact that Shiro and Tensa Getsuga merged together in order to fight Ichigo while he was trying to learn the final Getsuga. However, this is not very relevant to MY story. As I stated in the first chapter, "Any other inconsistencies with the story, you can just ignore." But thank you for trying to help, if that was your intention. **_

_**Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo: Believe me, I would love that just as much as the next person…. So, to make us both happy… I'll start on a one shot with a ton of ShiroIchi yaoiness! Whoot whoot!**_

_**SoulReaper1975: Thank you bunches! And here is your update! YAY! ~(-,-)~ Wiggle wiggle wiggle!**_

_**Mayuzu: glad you enjoyed the twist! (not the dance, I swear) But like I said to Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo, I'll have a one-shot with them up, hopefully soon. I need some ideas, though. **_

_**Vanity: Alright. There are your answers. Now read the damned story!**_

_**Greed: Now you're the one being mean, Vanity. Enjoy, my underlings! *cough cough* I mean readers! READERS!**_

_**Both: We don't own. DUH!**_

**Salvation? … Chapter 3**

"**King, ya 'ave ta calm down!"** Shiro warned as he sensed the panic within his host's mind. The teenager's inner world was literally a typhoon. "**You're leaking spirit pressure!"** But his warning came too late.

Three Shinigami were already on the young boy's tail. Soi Fon had been tracking him for three days straight, and at the slightest change in reiatsu, she dropped whatever she was doing and came after the terrified boy. And now she was back on him along with two of her squad. Kurotsuchi and Kenpachi hadn't been seen since that first attack. It was just Soi Fon now. And the second captain of the Gotei 13 was a persistent being.

Shiro watched quietly as Ichigo struggled with the two shinigami accompanying that witch of a woman. Those bracelets were still on Ichigo's wrists. And she was going to pay dearly once they figured out how to get them off. His host wouldn't be having this much trouble with those pieces of trash if it wasn't for that reiatsu suppresser! And that annoying bitch! She was just standing there watching the proceedings before her. When Shiro got out of the shackles that scientist had put him in, he would die, and then she would.

A sickly smile formed upon his face. Ah, the future was something to look forward to.

…

Ichigo clashed swords with an unknown shinigami and dodged the second attacker's blade headed toward his leg. This would have been no problem if he had access to all of his energy. The two shinigami he was fighting were probably about fifth and sixth seat at most. And Soi Fon was always in the corner of his eye.

The boy upped his spirit pressure to the max that it would go with the band on his wrist. It gave him enough of an advantage to flash out of there. He could not stay and fight. He wasn't an idiot, contrary to popular belief. This was not a fight that was worth anything but his life. And to keep his life, running worked just fine at the moment. Usually, a fight the redhead fought was for the sake of others. And now he was running for himself. This was not cowardice. It was smart thinking.

_Shiro, I need you to take over half of the spirit pressure. I can't keep it in check and run at the same time._

**"What would ya do without me, king?"** Shiro laughed. "**But, I suppose I'll help you for now. Can't have you killing **_**our**_** body, can I?"** The hollow took control of half of the available reiatsu, leaving his doppelgänger with the other half. Both halves were concealed quickly.

Ichigo ran through alleyways and behind houses when he could. He even went so far as to pass through the walls of homes, knowing the people in them could not see him, but feeling uncomfortable all the same. Soon, he was really and truly lost. He needed to go to Okayama and find the Vizards. There was no way that was going to happen with him lost.

Right now he was in a dark alley. The sun had just sunk below the horizon and Ichigo was growing tired. And hungry. He hadn't stopped to eat at all during his reckless flight from Karakura Town. And the boy had gotten very little rest. It was hard to keep his spirit pressure below the radar of others when sleeping, as had been proven several times thanks to the help of the shinigami. The most he could get was maybe an hour if he was lucky. Then his reiatsu would lash out of his body, jerking him awake, and forcing him to leave whatever hell hole he had decided to rest in.

A rather large box served as his shelter this time. A blanket was thrown over it in a lame attempt at privacy. He was a spirit. What kind of privacy did he need when humans were about? It was a slight comfort, though.

The teen was trying to clear his mind, however, when his thoughts went to his ex-allies. Why had him being what he was born as, made a different in how he was perceived? He was the same person he had been before and after the war with Aizen. And now, here he was, a pathetic excuse for the hero he had been. He was running from his supposed friends, dirty, hungry, and _tired_. Obviously, clearing his mind was not working.

Ichigo closed his eyes. When he opened them, it came as a surprise that he was in his inner world.

The blue of everything around him was almost blinding after being in that dank alley. But what was even more eye catching was the inverted version of himself that was in front of him. Shiro wasn't even wearing his usual grin at the sight of his king. He seemed to be serious for once. The white teen approached the tan one. **"King, we need to figure out what the hell is going on around us. And soon."**

"Don't you think I know that? Neither one of us know where the hell we need to be exactly. Then there seems to be a war, with us being Soul Society's only enemy. Soi Fon and her squad is becoming a big nuisance. And I'm sure Mayuri Kurotsuchi isn't far from trying to take us alive for experimentation. I realize that we are in trouble. And you need to realize that you are stating the obvious!" the king shouted at his horse.

Shiro's grin reappeared. His king had gotten his fire back. Soon, the horse was behind his king, arms wrapping around his waist. The poor teen was thinner than ever. **"Ichigo,"** the hollow purred against the teen's exposed throat, **"I would be careful if I were ya. Just 'cause I'm stuck in 'ere 'cause of that fuckin bracelet does not mean ya do not 'ave to worry about me. Nah, it's just tha opposite. I would be a lot more wary if I was you."** The hollow swiped his tongue up from the junction of Ichigo's shoulder and neck, up to his jaw bone. The teen shuddered slightly, tense against the body of his inner demon.

"What are you doing, Shiro?" said teen asked with anger coloring his voice.

**"What I want ta do,"** came the snide answer. "**Yer too weak ta do anything."**

"That may be true of me, but it's also true of you. All I have to do is call out my mask to cause you pain. Back the fuck off." The berry boy was livid at his hollow's advances. Never had the demon been so forward. However, before Shiro let go of the boy, he bit his neck and broke skin. The caught teen whipped around and shoved his double to the ground. "Bastard! What the hell are you thinking? Neither of us have the time for this shit if you haven't noticed? We are running to keep alive. Also, with this bracelet on, you can't take over. Or have you forgotten that?"

"'**Course not, king. I'm just bored is all. You should play with me more often."**

"Well, I don't like your idea of playing," Ichigo started in on the parasite then stopped. He was immediately back in the real world. What had made him freeze were the four heavy spirit pressures hanging over the town he was hidden in.

**"They couldn't 'ave found us, king." **The hollow's voice seemed to try and reassure the suddenly terrified child hidden within the alley.

"Then why are they here?" he whispered aloud.

"**Who know? They probably had someone try ta figure out tha most likely place ye would end up, Ichi-berry,**" Shiro mocked. But it was actually a pretty smart assumption. Ichigo calmed his breathing from the ragged pants he had been taking into calmer, more shallow, breaths.

Now that he was calmer, Ichigo could tell that the shinigami he felt were miles or more away. Those cruel hunters were nowhere near his hiding spot. Even though he would prefer them to be two towns over, this seemed to be the best he could get at the moment. _'Should we move?' _he asked.

**"Only if they get closer,"** the parasite answered quickly. Ichigo asked the same of Zangetsu, who agreed. Moving now would have no meaning if they just bypassed the area. Waiting, for now, seemed to be the smartest move.

…

Soi Fon's eyes moved over the dark houses where humans were either already in bed or getting ready to lay themselves to sleep.

According to Mayuri, Kurosaki would be somewhere near or in this town. The problem was, there was no way her team could patrol the entire city without alerting the boy. Everyone in her squad could suppress their reiatsu, but it was taxing after so long in the human world. For now, it was just fine to search with their energy unmasked. If they got close enough to the boy, it could easily flush him out of hiding. _Too bad Kurotsuchi didn't put a tracking beckon in one of the bracelets,_ the small captain found herself thinking for the fifth time that night alone.

…

They were closer now. Too close. The double mind within the same body had to move.

A hand slowly pushed the blanket covering the entrance of his small shelter away. He then exited the pathetic place he had to rest. But he was still tired. There had been no calming sleep to rest his eyes and mind and body. There had only been minutes of dozing before fear would crash into his body, sending his mind into alertness once more.

The thin body moved out of the alley, wary for any shinigami. Even though the boy could tell they were close, he could not pinpoint exactly where they were.

Instead of moving into the open streets, he went back into the alleyway and went into the closed restaurant that made up one of the outside walls. From there he exited through the other side and then into another building. He continued like this for the next two hours. Running down the streets would be idiotic, so this seemed to be the smartest option. He didn't account for one of the shinigami to be in one of the buildings he went through, though.

After entering a closed clothing store, the redhead was attacked out of nowhere. A shinigami with a strange shikai had flown at him from the roof. The shikai was like a double headed blade with a circular hold in the middle. It was easily spun by the shinigami and almost lopped off Ichigo's head before he threw himself backward and away from his opponent. "Bastard," the teen hissed.

"Give up, traitor, you have nowhere to go!" the unknown man shouted.

Traitor? They were labeling him a traitor? That was not true! After all he had done to help and he was reduced to the status of a deserter? Was that how they were justifying their actions against him to the lesser shinigami?

"I am no traitor!" he shouted to the man before him. He grabbed Zangetsu from his back and lunged. There was no way he could run in this condition. He had to incapacitate his attacker and bypass him. It was the only way he could see to get out of this situation.

"Why would I believe the words you spit out of that foul mouth?" the skillful man asked while blocking Zangetsu with his strange weapon. "But, I must say, you were quite easy to find with that shock of orange hair darting between buildings." Ichigo froze. It was his hair that had given him away? Shit! Why did he have to have such a strange appearance? "Die and repent your sins, traitor!"

The former substitute shinigami snapped out of his self-pity. He then dodged the attack aimed at his torso and flashed behind the attacking figure. He turned Zangetsu in his hands so that the bladeless edge was what would hit his opponent. And swung. The cleaver crashed against the unknown man's back in a diagonal line. Ichigo could hear the sickening sound of bone cracking as his sword hit the body before him. The shinigami dropped to the ground, in pain but still alive.

Ichigo knelt by the man and took a hold of his shinigami robes. "I'm sorry," the boy muttered several times as he tore off several strips of fabric from the man's clothing. He had to hide his hair.

The man stirred painfully. "Why didn't you kill me?" he croaked.

"I don't kill anything but hollows."

…

"_Welcome to Okayama," _read a sign covered by paint and graffiti. Unnoticed by the boy that skittered passed.

…

The wind howled.

There was nothing moving but the leaves on almost naked trees.

Further along the empty streets there was nothing human eyes could see. Yet there was something beyond human vision. Black clothes rustled in the foreboding wind, trailing behind a hooded youth. Silent footsteps land upon the earth and roofs of houses as the teen flashes deeper into the unfamiliar city. Frantic eyes swept the area as his mind searched for reasons that this could have happened. Ribbons of spirit energy crept passed his shield that was supposed to keep it hidden from the world. Shit. This was anything but good, the boy thought as dark figures appeared a short distance to his right.

This was really not good.

"Shinigami, eh?" one of the three figures cooed. This man had blonde hair cut in a bob. His companions were a white haired, muscular man, and a green haired, petite girl. "I didn't really expect on of you to show up here so soon. But that won't matter. We'll just dispose of you here and now."

Ichigo's eyes widened. This couldn't be happening. Now they were dressing normally to blend in or something? What was going on? He didn't answer. He just ran the opposite direction. Unfortunately, those that had found him were not too keen on letting him go.

The blond man was now in front of him, sword drawn and fighting stance ready. "Now, now, that's nothing to do. You're being rude. Draw your sword and fight." The cold eyes of the man scanned the kid. "Though, it doesn't seem like you have much reiatsu. Oh well, a fight is a fight. You shouldn't have come here." Before the teen could speak, the man lunged forward.

Ichigo got his large sword up just in time to block the attack, but he was thrown back into the wall of the nearest building. He dropped to the ground after attempting to step away from the building. On his knees now, the boy looks up at his oppressors. The white haired one was now in front of him with the girl off to the side. The older man landed a kick on Ichigo that sent him across the street. The green haired girl was giggling away at Ichigo's beating. "Kensei, this shinigami is no fun! Finish him off already."

"Yeah, he's not very skilled," the man named as Kensei agreed. "I didn't think Soul Society was the type to send them out right after graduating from the academy."

The blond marched up to the downed teen. "Doesn't matter. We need to get rid of him before other shinigami know that he's here." His sword's tip rested on the boy's abdomen and then he pressed down, sending the tip into skin. Ichigo's fluttering eyes snapped open and he screamed as the sword was then dragged down.

"Damn, Shinji, are you gonna make him suffer?" the girl asked.

"Shut up, Mashiro. The damn shinigami need to learn to leave us the hell alone." Shinji sighed. "I feel bad for doing this, but they won't learn unless we are harsher than we have been." He looked down at the panting shinigami. Hell, he only looked like a kid. This was better than him having to die by a hollow's hands, though. He put his beloved sword to the shinigami's throat. Then a hand came up and closed around the metal. A surprising amount of reiatsu came from the rookie, but it still wasn't even half of the ex-captain's energy. It _was_ enough to shock the blond and let his sword be pushed away.

Then the hooded death god was trying to run. Kensei stopped him, though. The muscular man came up behind the skinny boy and put his arms under and then around his shoulders. Even with the almost fatal wound on his stomach, the kid was putting up a hell of a fight. His hood was slipping off his head, just not enough to show anything yet.

Shinji walked calmly around to the front of the struggling body. "I'll make this quick if you would just hold still, idiot!" he barked.

Orange hair started to slip from beneath the makeshift hood. Black could be seen creeping through the sclera in the boy's eyes. The pupils were turning into a cat-like yellow. A mask started to form over the teen's left eye. "_**Leave us alone**_!" exited the teen's mouth, slightly distorted, as if two people were speaking.

Shinji stopped himself from moving away in shock. How was this possible? They heard that Aizen was dead, so there should be any new Vizards created by him, and that crazy ex-scientist captain wouldn't do such a thing. So, why, oh why, was there another of them standing right here? And if his looks were anything to judge by—now that the obscuring hood was removed—this _child_ had been running. Running from who was far too easy to guess.

Then the boy started screaming. Screaming in obvious pain. Kensei dropped the orange haired Vizard in obvious confusion. But then the two men noticed the kid was clawing at his mask with one hand, and his other was clawing at the bracelet that covered the opposite wrist. Shinji got the picture quickly. The shinigami—no, he was a Vizard now—needed the mask or the bracelet off. The masked seemed to be the easiest problem to deal with. So, he took the hilt of his sword and smashed it into the white, bone-like substance oozing out of the tear duct of the left eye. The screaming stopped almost immediately.

However, the pain didn't. Ichigo coughed up blood. His stomach was aching. His head hurt as if it had been repeatedly pounded into a concrete block.

He blacked out.

…

_**Greed: Whew! That was one hell of a chapter! Poor Ichi got attacked thanks to mistaken identity! That's never good. Hope it was good for you though! I had a ton of fun writing it!**_

_**Vanity: We, had fun writing it. I am pretty happy with the way this turned out! Hopefully the next chapter goes well for Ichi. He needs a break. **_

_**Both: Review please!**_


	4. Recovery

_**Vanity: So… We are back! With Chapter 4, nonetheless. I hope you enjoy this late chapter.**_

_**Greed: Yeah… we weren't for sure as to where we wanted this to go. We did have a plan… but that didn't seem to fit anymore. So, we revised a few things that we wanted to happen. The next chapter shouldn't even take a week to upload! So, yay!**_

_**Vanity: This chapter doesn't have that much going on, but it is important for later. Even if it is a little dry, bear in mind that all stories must have a calm point. This chapter and the next are basic calm points. Be relieved, though! Ichigo doesn't suffer much right now!**_

_**Both: Anyway, we don't own. And, if we did, everything would probably be topsy turby. Enjoy!**_

…

**Recovery… Chapter 4**

"What are we going to do with the kid? He's probably going to be scared of us when he wakes up," Kensei stated. Worry was on his usually toughened face. It was obvious that hurting the kid without knowing about him made the older man feel guilty.

"Oh, what's the big deal, Ken-chan!" Mashiro chimed. "He'll understand! It was mistaken identity! Mistaken identity!"

"You don't have to repeat it, you green haired freak," Shinji interrupted while pushing down on her head. "Kensei is right, though. He'll probably be scared and confused when he wakes up. He'll most likely think that _we _are the shinigami. Before he wakes up, Hachi, Lisa, and Love should watch over him."

"Why the hell can't I watch over him, baldy!" Hayori yelled at the blond. "Do you not think I can take care of him?"

"First of all, I think you would scare him more than we would. And secondly, if I had told you to take care of him, you would be bitching about that too, shorty." That earned the man a sandal in the face. "What the hell! I'm only telling the truth!" he yelled.

A shield pushed them both out the door, quieting them immediately. "I'm afraid that I cannot have such a ruckus in the room while the boy is still unconscious," Hachigen mutter politely. "I must try to figure out a way to remove these bands from the boy. Noise like that will not help me concentrate." Shinji and Hayori gulped. Hachi was scary when he was angered or in a rare bad mood. The two blonds left quickly, hoping to avoid any more trouble.

Everyone besides the large man eventually shuffled out of the room.

Hachi grabbed one of the boy's wrists and held it up to examine the band encircling the limb. It was a black circlet with blue at the edges. A curious design. It must have been the 12th division's technology. Possibly something Mayuri Kurotsuchi was testing out. And knowing the immoral scientist, it took his or his lieutenant's DNA to remove it. It would prove very difficult to remove the devise without Urahara Kisuke's help. The large man sighed. It was time to call for help.

…

"Kisuke!" the large ex-kido lieutenant hissed over the phone in a harsh whisper. "We have a slight problem."

"Oh! Did my message get to you? What's wrong, can't find him?" the shopkeeper sang over the line.

Hachi froze. "You know something about this?"

Urahara sank into a serious tone. "Oh dear. My message didn't make it? What's going on?" he asked, almost sounding panicked. What if something happened to his fiery student? He could never forgive himself for a mistaken he had made.

"Well, we have acquired a new redheaded Vizard—" he stopped as he heard a breath of relief from the ex-captain on the other side of the phone. "And he seems to have two very interesting bracelets on him. I was wondering if you knew how to get them off without having whoever created them here."

"Thank goodness. That's Ichigo. I sent him your way when my humble little Shoten was invaded. And those bracelets are Mayuri's doing. One is to suppress his hollow, and the other is to suppress his reiatsu. Knowing that man, there is a failsafe. The problem is finding it. One could be in the subject's death, but we can't possibly do that without me there to observe everything. It's far too risky. Another thing that may work is to poor a continuous stream of above captain level power into it. The sheer pressure should render the bracelet useless because it will overload itself trying to suppress it all. And the reason I say this, is because it didn't complete block Ichigo's reiatsu. He's probably only at about one fourth his stable power."

"One fourth of his stable power? Exactly what do you mean by that?"

"Simple. Ichigo's reiatsu is enormous. He cannot hold in his own reiatsu without the help of his hollow. Think about it. Captains can mask their pressure with no problem because they have trained for it since they were in the academy. Ichigo never held it in and it affected all of the people he was close to in Karakura Town. And that was when his power was at rest and at its most stable point. Just his subconscious output of reiatsu was impressive. Think if he focused that flow of reiatsu. It would be far above the average captain. And that bracelet cannot hold in all of his energy. Chances are, it'll end up overloading itself in time. However, if we poor energy into it, that will speed up the process," Urahara explained. "I'd suggest Shinji, Kensei, Love, and Rose give it a try. Put up the most powerful barriers you can and then proceed."

"That helps with one bracelet, but what about the hollow suppresser?" Hachi questioned quietly.

"I would rather not test that one out. Ichigo can handle things without his hollow for a while, so we can leave that one alone until absolutely necessary." Getaboshi paused long enough after speaking that Hachigen began to suspect the man was no longer there. "Also!" the man suddenly cried. "I think Kurosaki-kun's hollow will be very volatile whenever that bracelet comes off. Even if he has suppressed him once, things are a bit different than they used to be. I suggest you be extremely careful when it comes to the both of them."

Hachi agreed with the ex-captain and then hung up. He left the unconscious boy and started to look for the ex-captains that were named.

Love was standing outside the door with Lisa. "Hey, how's the kid?" the black man asked.

The pink haired man sighed. "I suppose he is fine. His wound from Shinji really wasn't that bad. Or his hollow healed it some. I cannot really tell. My healing kido aren't really doing much more than keeping him stable and asleep. Urahara has an idea on how to get rid of one of the bands. We'll just have to be careful with the other one," the healer told the two. "Have you seen the others?"

"Yeah," Lisa muttered without looking up from her magazine. "Hirako, Hayori, and Rose are in the training room and Kensei and Mashiro are watching television. We came to give them an update on the kid."

"Ah, well, please stay here. I'll be giving them the information they desire. I'll also need a few of you to get the spirit suppresser off of the poor lad." With that, Hachigen went to retrieve the other Vizards.

…

Shinji and the others watching in fascination as the bracelet crumbled into dust from around the skinny teenager's wrist. The information Urahara had given them worked like a charm.

And then the kid's eyes snapped open and a flood of reiatsu came from his body. It was as if a damn burst. Hachigen was having trouble holding the barriers because of the pressure. Hayori, Lisa, and Mashiro were pushed to their knees, while the four ex-captains lost a breath at the sudden wave of energy.

Ichigo screamed once, and then there was silence except for his ragged panting. His pressure calmed a bit and then stabilized. Hachi hurried over to him and quickly put a sleeping kido on him. There was no sense in shocking him with all of the people in the room. "Everyone, please leave. I'll have to wake him up soon so that he can eat and then rest properly. Also, do not be as loud as you normally are. You'll disturb the boy." Hachi's stare was almost withering as it met with everyone else in the room. He received nervous nods and mumbled affirmatives. Everyone left the room.

Hachi stared at the sleeping boy.

What raw power.

…

A pale hand was in front of his face. Warm, brown eyes were finally open within his inner world.

"**King? Are ye finally awake?"** asked a watery voice. The pale hand waved at him, his eyes followed.

His eyes looked behind the hand and dully noticed that it was cloudy but not raining. Ichigo blinked once to focus. "What the hell?" slipped out of his mouth as pain wracked his entire body when he tried to move.

"**Ye almost died, king. And if ye die, I can't take o'er for ye this time. That other bracelet is still on us." **Shiro sound pissed. If Ichigo died this time, there would be no coming back like he did after the fight with Ulquiorra. That damnable ring around his wrist was like a prison for the hollow. And it was most definitely not making him happy. The alabaster colored demon wished to break the bars that caged him, and when he did, the ones that forced him into the cage would pay. For now, Shiro would vent his frustrations upon his host. He pushed Ichigo back down, ignoring the pain within his own body. "**How many times do I 'ave ta tell ya, I-chi-go? I will take over if ye show weakness. Just 'cause I am bound right now does not mean it will last forever." **His face was only centimeters away from its mirror image.

"Get off of me, Shiro. Have you forgotten that we are in danger?"

"**Course not! That doesn't mean I can't 'ave fun though!"** Suddenly, A white Zangetsu materialized for the washed out male. It would have pierced Ichigo's hand if he hadn't kicked up and knocked the hollow away. Ichigo summoned his sword as well.

"We really _do not_ have the time for this. I need to wake up! What if our captures are planning something to do with us right now?" the teen asked his inner self.

"**Don't be so worried, king. Feel around ya. Our spirit pressure is back. Whoever 'as us can't be planning on killing us just yet."** Shirosaki lunged at his counterpart. "**Relax into the fight."**

Each time they clashed, they both came away with welts and cuts littering their bodies. Shiro was grinning insanely at the prospect that his king was almost his equal. Ichigo was just pissed that the hollow was trying to get so close to him whenever he was weak.

Suddenly, Ichigo stopped. Pain was radiating from his stomach. He was roughly pushed into consciousness as the pain progressed. Brown eyes snapped open to see an unfamiliar room. Pounding reached his ears and he realized that it was his heart.

A hand came up to touch his stomach. It seemed to be intact, but it _hurt_.

Eyes searched the room. They rested on a man with long blond hair that was reading a book.

Beeping. The beeping sound in the room got faster. It was a heart monitor. He recognized that sound easily after hearing it so often in the clinic. And the beeping had gotten faster because he was scared. Scared of what was going to happen to him, scared of the unknown man in the room with him, scared that they were _helping_ him.

As the sound increased, the man's head came up in shock. The he smiled at the boy. "Oh, good. You are awake! I'll have to get Hachi so he can perform a checkup on you. But, first, how are you feeling?" the blond asked as he stood.

Brown eyes once again swept the room, looking for his weapon. When he did not see Zangetsu his eyes fixed upon the other occupant of the room. "Where am I and who are you?" he asked. There was no fear in his voice, though his body was trembling. Surely they wouldn't put him in a hospital bed, bandage him up, and let him live this long just to kill him. Right? Maybe they wanted information. But what sort of information could he give them? He was just a teenager that didn't even fully understand what the hell was going on!

"You're in Okayama at our hideout," the tall man informed the boy. "And, I am Rōjūrō Otoribashi. You may call me Rose." Rose? What a strange name for a guy, Ichigo thought. Though, it wasn't much worse than strawberry. "Well, it looks like you're fine, so I'm going to get Hachi. Don't move too much. Your stomach wound still hasn't healed." Without waiting for any acknowledgement, Rose left the room.

Ichigo sat up in the bed he was in so that it was easier to see the room. It looked like exactly what it was. A makeshift hospital room. Then he looked down at himself. He was wearing sweatpants and no shirt. Bandages were on his stomach, making him look sickly. His usually tan skin was pale, and his ribs were more prominent than they should be. He looked like he had been sick for a long time. It wasn't surprising, though. He hadn't slept or eaten properly in almost two weeks.

Since his last encounter with the shinigami in the clothing store, he had not fought anymore. Any time he even felt a prickle of spirit pressure near him, he had run in the opposite direction. There had been close calls, but none had ended that badly. Sleep was almost nonexistent in that period of time. Fear of being caught kept his heart pumping wildly and eyes straining to stay open. Food, that was scarce. He took that from stores that wouldn't really miss the stolen items. Even though it made him feel guilty, he had to have food. And food from the trash wasn't going to cut it most of the time.

Ichigo was ripped from his memories as a large, round, pink haired man came into the room. It would have been comical in any situation but this one. Who the hell were these people?

"So Love wasn't lying to get out of babysitting, I see," the man said by way of greeting his patient. "I'm Hachigen Ushoda." Ichigo glared at the man. "Now, now, don't look at me like that. You're safe here. Soul Society cannot reach you here."

"How do I know I can trust you?" the teenager asked quietly. There was no way he was going to trust people he had never met before.

"Well, to put it simply, we are like you, Ichigo. We are running from Soul Society for the same reasons you are. And I must apolo—" There was a screeching sound that covered up the rest of the word and completely stopped the sentence. The small smile he had constantly been wearing never even left his face. Even as the door _fell_ open.

A little monkey-like girl had her foot in a blond man's face. The foot came away to reveal the man who had given Ichigo his stomach wound. And almost killed him.

Ichigo's eyes went to Hachi, the man that had just been speaking. The redheaded teen's spiritual pressure rose, spilling from his body in a massive wave. "You're lying to me! You're trying to get something from me! Why can't you people just leave me the fuck alone already?" The only one not overly affected by the overwhelming reiatsu was Shinji. He stood in the doorway with an annoyed look.

Taking a few strides into the room, he was now at Ichigo's bed. "Listen, kid. Attacking you was an honest mistake. We thought you were a shinigami. Wouldn't you have done the same in our situation?"

A bead of sweat rolled down the kid's neck. "If I still had that collar on? I would have run. Without the collar, I would have incapacitated my opponent and then ran. Nowhere in my flight would I have killed someone. You were trying to _kill_ me and weren't even sure if I was a real threat to you. If fact, if you hadn't showed yourselves to me, I would have never found you. Don't you dare call something like this an _'honest mistake.'"_ During his little speech, Ichigo had stood up. His full height was just slightly taller than that of the blond man. The teen even raised his energy so that Shinji was having trouble with his breathing.

A wheezing breath came from the floor. "Ichigo-san, please stop this! I cannot hold my barriers in place with this much pressure. The soul reapers will be on us in seconds if you do not stop this madness," Hachi said, choking on each word. The boy hesitantly lowered his reiatsu so that it wasn't pressing them to the floor. It was all he could do. After that band had been taken off, the thought of holding his energy was daunting. Living with only half of it for as long as he did had made it hard to hold all of his immense reiatsu in.

"If you are really not after me, then prove it. Show me that you are who you say you are."

"Shinji," the little blonde monkey whispered. "Should we show him _that_?" The skinny man nodded. "Then we should go to the training area. The barriers are stronger there."

…

_**Greed: Well. Sorry that took so long. I was having problems with where I wanted this to go. Also—and this is embarrassing—I realized I was spelling Hiyori wrong! How idiotic of me! But, I'm not going to fix it. It's simple enough to understand, even if it is spelled wrong. **_

_**Vanity: It still makes you an idiot.**_

_**Greed: Which makes you one, too. Because you never corrected me! So ha!**_

_**Vanity: Forgive our ranting. Please review. ^w^**_

_**Greed: Or we will never post again! Mwahahahaha!**_


	5. Discovery

_**Vanity: I must apologize for this short and delayed chapter. I have been horribly sick these past few days and could not put the finishing touches upon this work. I got the second chapter of Sanitarium out because all I had to do was write the A/N. Thank whatever god or gods may be out there. If I had to look at the computer screen for any more time, I do believe I would have been sick. **_

_**Greed: Yeah, it was BEYOND bad. When we get sick… we get SICK! Almost had to go to the hospital! Ugh!**_

_**Vanity: They don't need to know that, Greed.**_

_**Greed: Shut up, Van. Everything turned out alright! So, enjoy this fucking chapter you bitches and hoes!**_

_**Vanity: *Sigh* Insulting the readers is not productive. But, anyway, we do not own.**_

_**Greed: *Mumbles* You've done it before….**_

…

**Chapter 5… Discovery**

Soul Society.

"A message was intercepted from Kisuke Urahara. It was apparently to the Vizards. We have yet to determine its exact trajectory. However, it is concluded that it is somewhere near Okayama. We'll have search parties in and around the entire city. These _Vizards_ will be brought to justice."

…

Before anyone could move to the training room, Hachi had to check on Ichigo's condition. His moving about had cause part of his wound to open. And pain was a large factor. Being as under nourished as he was, it was surprising he wasn't still sleeping. Hachi had set up a rudimentary IV system, but it really didn't seem to have helped much in the sort time the teen had been on it.

The last bandage was secured.

"Alright, Ichigo, you are ready to move, but do take it easy. We are short on supplies after all. With you running around, the shinigami are everywhere." Hachi smiled heartily at the boy. However, Ichigo didn't know whether to be angered or apologetic. He settled for a scowl. "I am curious about something, though. How did a kid like you acquire a hollow?"

The orange haired teen shrugged. "I've had it almost as long as I've had shinigami powers. At first, they were Rukia's powers so it didn't manifest. After Byakuya destroyed those powers, Kisuke helped me get my soul reaper powers back. _He_ has been with me ever since." Ichigo paused, wondering if he should even be telling this man what he had been through. He mentally shrugged. If things turned bad, even injured, he could escape. "It took a while for me to confront him, but I suppose it didn't turn out so bad. Broke a few of Urahara's ribs and smashed up Tessai a bit."

"Curious. It was an instantaneous thing with us. We were infected and the incubation period was very small. We had to confront our hollows much sooner than you, apparently." Hachi helped Ichigo stand. "Go with Lisa to the training ground. I'll have Mashiro or Love bring you some food. And, please, do not overexert yourself. I would hate for your wound to open again."

"So, you people are the Vizards Hat and Clogs was talking about?" His answer was a polite nod. "Is that what they're going to show me downstairs?" Another nod. "Well, food would be nice," Ichigo finally conceded. If he was truly held here by liars trying to make him at ease, he might as well get a meal out of it before he ran.

A dark harked girl with her hair in a braid was outside the door. Ichigo didn't bother to talk with her. She was obviously Lisa, the girl that was supposed to take him to the training room. And, she didn't even look up from her dirty magazine when he exited the room. The girl just turned and started walking, expecting him to follow. Which he did. Soon they were at a trap door with stairs that lead down. Down into a large room that looked like an outdoor training area. It was Urahara's work all over again. The redhead groaned.

"What is the matter?" Lisa asked, still with her nose in her book.

"Just wondering how Urahara seems to have these things everywhere."

"This is just modeled after his. Though, there are about two more in Karakura Town, if I'm not mistaken. One is at our Karakura hideout and the other is where Yoruichi stays. Where ever that is." She paused as she pointed to a place further into the ridiculously large room. "Go over there. Shinji, Hayori, and Kensei are there. They'll show you what you need to see." With those instructions given, she turned around and left. Ichigo walked in the direction showed. And froze.

Two of the people who had tried to _kill_ him were standing right there. And that little monkey brat was just lazing about. This infuriated the teen to no end! Why would they have two of the three people that attacked him show him what the hell was happening? Where they just trying to make him even angrier? Well, if that was the case, it was definitely working.

Shinji turned to the boiling teen. "Hey there, Strawberry. I see you can move around better."

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. "And I see you're still an obnoxious ass."

Hayori started laughing wildly and Kensei looked slightly amused. "Hey, hey! You don't even know me yet! When did you begin to have the right to call me that?"

"Since your sword was the one that plunged through my stomach," Ichigo answered. "Or am I wrong about that? I wasn't exactly in my _right_ mind when I got to Okayama." The three Vizards opposite the teen looked slightly uncomfortable. "So, are you going to show me you're not liars or are we just going to stand here for the rest of the week?" It was useless to state the obvious, that Ichigo was beyond pissed. This whole situation was worse than the confrontation with Aizen.

Soul Society was after his head, spreading lies just to accomplish that. There were two bands on his wrists that were seriously hindering him. He's almost killed thanks to these bozos thinking he's just a plain soul reaper. And, even though the energy suppresser was gone, he still couldn't use his hollow powers. Not to mention being ripped away from his friends and family.

"Right. We were just going to spar with our masks. Nothing fancy. And after words, you might want to contact that useless shopkeeper. Hachi had to talk to him while you were unconscious to figure out how to get the cuffs off ya." Shinji drew his sword, causing Ichigo to tense up. Shinji just ignored the teen and turned to Kensei. "Alright. Let's get warmed up."

Ichigo watched for about thirty minutes as they fought without their masks. Neither man was working up a sweat, but that soon changed as the battle got more heated. Finally, Hayori got fed up with the pointless sparring and yelled at the two idiots. "Hey! Don't forget why we're down here! You guys are supposed to bring out your masks! Don't make me come over there and force you into it." She started to toss a sandal before she heard Ichigo laugh. She looked over in surprise. It wasn't exactly a normal laugh. It was slightly watery, and the half smile on his face was out of place.

The red head had one brown eye and one yellow eye. Well shit. "_**Relax, shorty. I just want ta watch**_," the hollow said. Then his head shook as if in slight pain. "_**I can't do more than this**_."

"Because if he did, the stupid cuff would go haywire," Ichigo said, regaining control of his facial features. "He could ask before he comes out, though. It still hurts."

Hayori just stood there. This was the weirdest shit she had ever seen. Why was this kid not trying to slam his hollow back into his inner world? That would be the sane thing to do.

"Ichigo! Pay attention!" Kensei yelled from where he and Shinji were fighting. Both of the men looked like they were about to claw at their faces, but as they pulled their hands down, masks appeared. Ichigo watched, along with Shiro. And Hayori watched the boy. It was uncomfortable knowing that his hollow could get out like that, even if he was restrained. She'd have to speak to the others about this soon. The blonde girl got distracted from her thoughts as a loud noise came from the stairs.

Mashiro was running toward them with Love in tow. He was trying to slow the hyper girl down because she was carrying a tray of food. "Snacks~! Who wants foo~d!" The green haired girl was yelling across the underground field.

"Mashiro! Calm down, you'll spill the food. And that food is only for Ichigo!" Love yelled just as grandly at the smaller figure. The girl turns and sticks her tongue out at the black man. "Seriously, if you drop that food, I will pound you into the ground!"

The petite woman ignores the larger man and races over to where Hayori and Ichigo are seated. When Ichigo turns to look at the girl, both of his eyes flash yellow before they both return to normal. Hayori flinches at the sight. In that slit second, the teen's hollow was in control. The parasite also did not look happy with the ex-lieutenant. His face was full of hatred. But then the teen regained control. No, that wasn't right. It was as if he didn't even notice the slit second of total invasion.

Ichigo glares at the newcomers. Here was, yet again, another of his attackers. He did not care that they were telling the truth about being the Vizards. They had still tried to kill him upon finding him garbed in shinigami clothing. No explanation, no mercy, no hesitation. They had all gone for the kill. That could wait for now, though. All that mattered at this time was the fact that they were now helping him avoid the Gotei 13.

…

It was sprinkling in the inner world of the teen. Zangetsu was standing near the counterpart of his master. Shiro seemed to be anything but his usual grinning self.

Instead, the boy was frowning. The snarl looked as if it would split his face. Zangetsu had never really seen the white male do anything except smile grandly and insanely. This could be anything but good.

…

Shiro watched them all from inside his host.

Those idiots had no idea what he was thinking.

No, that wasn't true. That little blonde monkey had an inkling. She had seen that split second he had total control over Ichigo. She had seen his usually grinning face fall into a look of pure hatred. It was hate for almost killing the king when he couldn't take control when he died. It did not matter that they had saved him after realizing their mistake. Oh no. If anything, that just made it worse. Saved by their very attackers. Ha!

Shiro's frown twisted into a ludicrous smile.

He had just thought of a way to get rid of that fucking cuff on King's wrist.

…

_**Greed: Well, there you have it. The shortest chapter so far takes the longest time to come out. Figures right? We would have written more, but it just ended itself so awesomely! Heehee. **_

_**Vanity: Also, it didn't help that we were sick. **_

_**Greed: Yeah, I guess it didn't. So, review, favorite or follow! You KNOW you want to!**_


	6. Undisclosed

_**Vanity: It seems as if we've been having one difficulty after another. We were sick last time we updated (still are, but we are doing better), and now the internet has been down for a week. We also didn't feel like going to the library to update…. So, here is a very late chapter. Hope you enjoy. Forgive the very short A/N. We are so tired.**_

_**Greed: Yes, so just read it already!**_

…

**Chapter 6… Undisclosed **

Shinji and Kensei got done sparing not long after Ichigo finished eating.

Shinji put his sword on his shoulder and walked over to the small group around the newcomer. "So, what did you think?" he asked with a large smile.

Apparently he was hoping for the teen to be impressed. "Reminded me of my fight with Grimmjow. I learned how to keep my mask on for as long as I needed in that fight."

The blond man blinks and his smile drops slightly. They had this kid fight in the Winter War? What the hell were they thinking? Soul Society sure was desperate lately.

"What?" the kid asks, seeming to know something was wrong by Shinji's slight change in expression. "Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something weird?" he growls. Shinji didn't answer the teen right away and that seemed to annoy him further.

"No, I'm just surprised they had a kid like you fight in the War," Shinji answered. "You're all of seventeen years old, right? So you were fifteen when all of that went down. What the hell was Old Man Yamamoto thinking?"

"Listen, blondie, I was the one that fought in the war of my own accord. If I hadn't fought with Soul Society, then they would all be dead right now and Aizen would be on the King's throne. It was my own decision!" Ichigo yelled. "I wasn't wrong in that choice! They are wrong in theirs now!"

Kensei decided to speak up now. "Are you saying you're the one that decided the outcome of the war?" he asked, seemed to be very skeptical.

The orange headed boy blinked. "I defeated Aizen, yes. But he wasn't killed. Something about the Hougyoku made him un-killable. Urahara helped seal him."

The Vizards stood around the newcomer in awe. This kid had stopped the war? What the hell? They knew a few details about what went on elsewhere while they were fighting others, but this, this was mind blowing. "You're kidding us, right?" one of them finally asked.

Ichigo glared at the black man that had spoken in confusion. "Why would I lie about something like that? I'd have to be sick to think that's funny. Yes, I stopped Aizen, though it was still a close call. What's so hard to believe about that?"

"Did you use your hollow?" Hiyori asked almost timidly.

Ichigo flashed her a menacing look and she almost flinched. "No. I used the final form of Zangetsu. But, where is he anyway? I refrained from asking before, but I want him back."

"Zangetsu? Your sword? Oh, well, it's upstairs. When you're done talking with that lazy ass Urahara, you can get it. We just didn't give it to you before because we thought it would be a pain for you to carry around that huge ass sword." Kensei looked over at the shortest one in the group after speaking. The little brat was acting strange around this kid. "Hey, Hiyori, why don't you get the connection ready for Strawberry here to talk to Getaboshi?"

"Yeah, whatever," she grumbled. The fiery little blonde didn't even put up a fight about it! Unbelievable. He'd have to ask what was wrong later.

…

Ichigo followed the white haired man up the stairs a minute later. Hiyori had set up the connection to Urahara's Shoten not too long ago. The dumb shopkeeper's face was not exactly a welcoming sight to the teen right now.

"Kurosaki-kun! I am so glad you are safe!"

Before Kisuke could even get a word of his next sentence out, the furious boy in front of him interrupted. "No thanks to you, asshole! Just what the hell happened to that message you said you would send? Huh? These idiots almost killed me because they thought I was a shinigami! You didn't even warn me to be careful if something went wrong. No! You just threw me into the fire! What the hell is your problem, you motherfucking bastard! I could wring your neck right now if you were here." Ichigo took deep breaths at the end of his tirade. The Vizards stared in shock, but the hat wearing shopkeeper just smiled behind his ever present fan.

"Kurosaki-kun. Language. I know you've had it rough, but you aren't dead. Be happy for that." He suddenly turned serious. "And about that message. It seems that Soul Society was expecting me to help you. Mayuri had safety nets set up if I sent out any information or requests. It seems they might know that you are somewhere in or around Okayama. You'll need to move quickly to escape their notice." Urahara moved his attention to the Vizards in the room. Hachi, Kensei, Hiyori, and Shinji were the ones present. "I'm sorry to involve you once more in things like this. But Ichigo means a lot to many people. We have to find some way for the Gotei 13 to accept your hollow natures. You cannot just continue running like this. You know it and I know it."

Shinji stepped forward and sighed. "It's been so long since we actually settled down. It would be wonderful not to be pursued. However, dealing with Soul Society like this? It'll be more than a little difficult. The old man won't just change his mind about this."

"I know it won't be easy, but we'll have to try." The dirty blond looked at Ichigo. "Your father and sisters have moved from the clinic. I won't say were they are right now. That information could get into the wrong hands. But, they are safe. Soul Society wouldn't be so low at to go after your family." He saw Ichigo's tension fade a bit. "Also, I'm leaving Karakura town. It won't be long before they come to me because I have helped you. I'm actually surprised that they haven't tried to arrest me yet. Anyway, I'll try to get information to you about Soul Society's movements. Yoruichi should be able to find out some interesting things."

Before anyone could say anything else, the connection sizzled then cut out. Hiyori sighed and Hachi shook his head.

"This is turning into a war," Shinji whispered to no one in particular.

…

Hiyori watched at Ichigo walked from the room, led by Kensei to get his zanpakuto.

"Shinji, I have to tell you something about that kid."

The blond man looked at this smaller companion. It was strange that she was so serious and hadn't called him baldy or some such thing. "What's the deal?"

"Hachi, you need to listen too. Earlier his hollow was out." Both men looked at her skeptically. "I know, I know! He's got that bracelet thing! But his eyes! They were black and yellow when he was watching your fight, Shinji! And he spoke! It was just like one of our hollow voices! Ichigo knew it was happening, too! But he didn't do anything. Ichigo said it hurt when he took over. So the bracelet was doing something, just not enough to really bother the hollow. And when Mashiro came down! It was horrible. The _look _he gave her! I don't even think Ichigo was aware that his hollow had taken over in that split second." The ex-lieutenant shuddered.

Hachi pondered the information she gave while Shinji just shook his head. "Hiyori, the kid's been through a lot. He just needs to figure things out again."

Hiyori shook her head. No. that wasn't it. Ichigo didn't need to figure things out. He needed to crush his hollow. Then things wouldn't be so fucked up.

She shuddered at the thought of what would happen if that bracelet came off.

…

Shiro watched. He watched because that was all he could do right now.

Soon, though. Soon he would get that cuff off. And then everyone would have wished they had killed his red headed host earlier in the game.

…

Ichigo grabbed Zangetsu's hilt. A spark of life jolted up his arm in welcome. Everything was right, even for just a moment in this messed up world.

"C'mon, Ichigo. You need to rest some more. We'll probably be moving soon and you'll need your strength." Kensei led the kid to his makeshift hospital room.

…

Soi Fon moved through the town. This was supposedly the last place Ichigo had been headed. Information courtesy of Urahara Kisuke.

Several teams of Black Ops were moving about and around the city. If there were any abnormalities about here, they would find them.

Not far from the second squad captain, two shadows moved into an alley so as not to be seen.

"Renji," a nervous voice whined. "How are we supposed to find Ichigo before they do? There are so many of them and only two of us!"

"Shut up, Rukia. We have Kisuke, remember? He told us that the Vizards hide outs are usually on the outskirts of town and are warehouses or large abandoned buildings. All we need to do is look for one that seems to have no life surrounding it. Apparently one of their men can use a barrier about like Orihime can."

"I know that already! But, they could follow us and find them because of our stupidity!" the petite girl whispered harshly.

"Not if we're careful."

…

"_**Hey, King?"**_

Ichigo sighed. "What do you want?" he whispered into his pillow. His eyes moved to the comforting sight of his zanpakuto.

"_**Are ya sure ya can trust these people? They didn't take off the hollow cuff. They don't trust ya!" **_Shiro dragged Ichigo into his subconscious, inner world. "_**They're afraid of ya, King. Can't ya see that? Otherwise you would be completely free."**_

Ichigo was pinned to the ground with Shiro above him, face slightly to the side of his own, lips near his ear. A wet tongue, tinted blue, snaked out to taste its counterpart's skin. "Get off of me, you perverted bastard!" the host shoved at his captor.

"_**Now, now, King! I'm only stating the truth. I'm tha only one ya can trust. Ya should know this after the soul reapers left ya to rot!" **_Shiro just got closer, if that was possible, to the one under him. "_**No one is on yer side, except me. Deal with that fact, King. Ya can't trust the Vizards, they'll use you. Ya can't trust Soul Society, they discarded you. I want to survive, ya want to survive. We 'ave a common goal, I-chi-go."**_

The trapped teen was silent. Was he really letting the words of his hollow reach him? But it was true. Halfway, at least. And, he knew nothing about the Vizards' ways. Finally, Ichigo got fed up with the proximity of his hollow, pushed him off. Shiro was sent flying about twenty feet. "I won't trust you! Even if you are trying to survive, you still wish to control my body. And I still have my family! They will be there, even if nobody else is. What do you know of trust? You can't even give it."

"_**Yer wrong there, dear king."**_ Shiro laughed for a moment before stopping abruptly. _**"I trust you. I trust ya to stay the weak, pathetic being that ya are. Hell, I even trust ya to always be by my side, stifling me from the outer world. King, I am yer horse. Of course I trust ya." **_With every word, the white clad teen got closer to the black. He rested a pale hand on his twin's shoulder, leaned over, and whispered once again in the orange headed boy's ear. _**"I am the only one that ya know exactly what I want. If that isn't trust, then what is?"**_

Ichigo shuddered. "Do you really have to get so close to tell me that? You could have said it just fine from ten feet or twenty feet away."

"_**Ah, but that wouldn't 'ave had as much of an effect on ya, now would it? It's all about presentation, king." **_The hollow chuckled lowly. Ichigo could almost feel the vibration the noise caused.

Before Ichigo could get a word out to his inner instinct, he was jerked back into the corporeal world. Hachi was in the room gently shaking the younger male's shoulder. "Ichigo-kun! We have shinigami around the area. We need to leave quickly before they discover this place. Do you think you are fit to move now? We cannot wait even one more day."

The boy groaned. One more day would have been just enough time to completely heal. "Can you heal me anymore than I am now? If I move too much, I'll open my wound."

The large man shook his head. "I'm sorry, but my healing abilities can only heal the most minimum amount of wounds, and my healing kido are not up to par with such a wound. I am not a medical specialist, Ichigo-kun."

Ichigo scowled, something Hachi noticed was always his go to expression. "Fine, but I can't really fight like this. I will if I have to, but only to protect myself."

Hachi nodded. He hadn't expected the child to do more than that. "I'll do my best to keep you from fighting, also." This caused the boy to huff. "Don't be upset about being protected. You are my patient after all. I cannot allow you to get hurt any more than you already are."

"Whatever. Now, can I have so proper clothes before we leave?"

"Ah, yes." The round man walked over to a storage bin in the corner of the room. It had doubled as a table to hold various things that might have been needed. Medicine, syringes, and so on. He opened the draw on the front and rummaged around. "I have Love and Mashiro grab you some clothes while they were out. They should be about the right size. Just be glad that Love was with that hyper girl. She would have had you in a jumpsuit, no doubt about it." Hachi chuckled at the thought. Ichigo glowered at the thought of the green haired munchkin. The pink headed man didn't notice, though. He also didn't notice the hint of gold in the kid's eyes as he turned around and sat the clothes on Ichigo's improvised hospital bed. "I'll leave you to change then." He left the room.

"_**King~!"**_

Ichigo ignored the singsong, liquid voice.

"_**Ya don't like that girl very much. Why do ya hate her more than the blonde bastard and the white haired, muscle man?"**_

He decided to answer. "She doesn't have as much empathy as the other two. She honestly wouldn't care if I dropped dead right here. Stupid, brattish looking bimbo." He muttered the last, but it still make Shiro laugh in delight.

It wasn't the same reason he disliked the girl, but it was a start. He didn't speak again while Ichigo was dressing.

The teen went from loose fitting sweats to pants that hung off of his protruding hips, and a shirt that hung limply on his skeletal frame. The boy sighed. His body was nothing but a skinny, gaunt pole. His muscles were still there, but there was no real density to them. Two weeks with little to no food had really taken its toll.

He walked out of the dreary room he had been in. Lisa was once again waiting outside for him. This time she led him to the Vizards what looked like a living room, only much larger because it opened into a warehouse. The seven other Vizards were already in the room, Lisa making eight and Ichigo now making nine.

"Everyone have everything they need?" Nods accompanied Shinji's question. "Good. We're moving. Now."

…

_**Greed: Internet down for a week equals boredom. It also equals no chapter for you. Sucks, don't it?**_

_**Vanity: Stop antagonizing our lovely readers. They had to suffer threw two whole weeks of no update from us. Can you not show at least a semblance of sympathy?**_

_**Greed: Um… nah. I could really care less.**_

_**Vanity: She's lying. She goes mushy when she reads lovely reviews. So leave some, please!**_


	7. Surprise

_**Greed: You guys make me so happy! Four reviews not even two hours after I update! And, can I just say, wow! They made me so inspired to write. So, hopefully this update makes you all happy lil' fuckers! **_

_**Vanity: So, thank you Hollow Ichigo-Ichigo, MaeKat, deidrasha the fallen angel, and Lil Mexican, for your quick reviews that just made us smile! Thanks to you, this update is early! Everybody, thank these lovely people.**_

_**Greed: Yeah, yeah, now on with the story! *Kicks the air and plays guitar***_

_**Vanity: This is a story, not a concert; they cannot see what you're doing.**_

_**Greed: Do you always have to bring me down?**_

_**Vanity: Yes, yes I do.**_

…

**Chapter 7… Surprise**

Red hair on a head wrapped in a bandana flashed into an alley.

"Did you see anything?" a petite woman asked the pineapple haired man.

"I couldn't really see much, but I think there are about nine people in that warehouse. The windows are all boarded up, so it was hard to tell from the cracks in between the wood. I think one of them was Ichigo," Renji explained.

Rukia looked excited. "What were they doing?"

"I couldn't tell. All I know is that they were all together, probably talking about something or other. I couldn't—" He stopped and drew his sword. Something was around them. And it wasn't friendly.

"What's wrong?" Rukia asked her friend in a whisper. The red headed lieutenant didn't answer. His eyes just surveyed the area around them. The alley way was clear, so were the roofs above them. Nothing made a sound in the cool air of the night. The full moon cast no strange shadows. "Renji?"

…

Shinji watched two shinigami talk in the alley. He had come out for surveillance before everyone left. Ichigo wasn't far behind, and Rose and Kensei were taking the other side of the warehouse. They had to make absolutely sure that they could get away without attracting the attention of too many soul reapers.

And yet, here were two of Soul Society's lieutenants. God, this was just too fucking lucky. Why did he have to be the one to find these two? And Ichigo wasn't here yet.

"Renji?" he heard the girl ask.

"Shut up, Kuchiki," the man growled quietly.

Kuchiki? That little pipsqueak? There was no way that girl was part of the Kuchiki family. It almost made the blond laugh. Instead of laugh, though, he attacked. Mr. Pineapple was expecting it, so why not make his day?

Shinji sword came unsheathed, making a beautifully deadly sound. The one named Renji turned his head at the sound. However, as the Vizard came at him, he wasn't going to be able to lift his sword in time to block the blond's attack. It was coming too swiftly for his eyes to even register. Rukia could just make out a blur of motion, and then everything stopped.

Two blades had crashed together. Black and silver collided. Gold, determined eyes met with confused brown ones. Gold. That wasn't right. _Weren't they brown earlier?_ Shinji caught himself thinking. But then his confusion turned to outrage. What was this kid doing? Protecting shinigami? Had he led them here? Was Ichigo part of some intricate plot to smoke out the hidden Vizards? "What the hell are you doing, Ichigo?" the ex-captain finally spoke. Anger was clear in his voice.

"I should ask you that, Hirako," the strawberry head hissed. "We were supposed to be avoiding confrontations, and here you are picking a fight."

"With shinigami! Just why the hell do you care? They betrayed you. I'm surprised you didn't go after them yourself." The blond was snarling at the teen.

Before Ichigo could speak again, he coughed. Blood came out, several drops landing on Shinji's cheek, some dripping down Ichigo's chin. "Ichigo!" the black haired girl screamed, ignoring the cringe her companion made at the loud exclamation. She ran to her friend's side as he fell to his knee. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, bastard just made me reopen my wound."

Rukia had her arms under Ichigo's shoulders, as if to support him. He didn't mind. He had missed her so much, even if it hadn't actually been that long since their last encounter. It felt like it had been decades. The girl's arms tightened. She could feel ribs were there used to be lean muscle. Her friend's face was sallow, devoid of healthy color. His eyes, once a chocolate color, were now a dull, almost lifeless brown. What had happened to this teen in such a short time?

Shinji watched the woman hold up the teenager. Worry was apparent in her eyes and tone. His eyes slid to the other shinigami. The redhead watched the duo with concern in his eyes, also. What the hell was going on? "Kurosaki, you need to explain what's going on before I decide to take it the wrong way."

Brown eyes looked up. Yellow crept into the irises. It was creepy, even if he had seen it so many times. But, this kid, he wasn't doing it on purpose like the others did. Oh no. he wasn't even conscious of his hollow slipping out in small doses. Hayori was right to be wary of Ichigo.

"They're my… friends," Ichigo gasped. "They would not be part of such a thing like hunting me down."

"That's right! We wouldn't do such an awful thing!" Rukia cried. "What the 1st captain is doing isn't right! Even my brother thinks it isn't condonable."

"You're brother?" Shinji asked. "That stuck up bastard? For some reason I doubt he would go against Old Man Yamamoto just for the sake of some kid. Byakuya is someone to go against orders from what I hear. Or did he really try his best to save you when you were sentenced to death at the hands of your precious Soul Society?"

Rukia was stricken by the words the blond Vizard hurled at her.

"Hey, bastard! Don't talk to her like that," Renji yelled. "That was just a misunderstanding."

"Yeah, well it still would have left her d-" before Shinji could finish the word, a massive energy stopped him. Ichigo was standing up without Rukia's help. His eyes were rimmed in black.

"Just shut up, Shinji! You know nothing about what has happened in Soul Society other than what you've been told by that arrogant bastard Urahara. I'm sick of everything being either black or white to you guys. If they are a shinigami, they're bad, if they are a Vizard, they are good. Well, these two are the ones I trust, not you! So stop trying to pick a fight where one is not needed!" Ichigo started coughing again. His spirit pressure weakened.

Shinji grabbed his cellphone out of his pocket and hit a number for speed dial. It rang once. All he said was one word into the speaker. "Scatter."

…

"Scatter."

Love heard that one word from the other side of the phone he had answered. He raised his hand and gave a signal. Hachi, Hayori, Lisa, and Mashiro all disappeared not even a half a second later. They had all felt Ichigo's spirit pressure. This location was even more risky than it had previously been. And it had everyone wondering just what had happened to make the kid do something like that.

Rose and Kensei were met by Hachi and Lisa and told the situation. Mashiro and Hayori went off to Shinji and Ichigo. Love followed.

…

"He needs help now!"

"He'll be fine for a while. I'll just carry him. Now, you to go away before I kill you," Shinji told the girl.

Tears were in her eyes but they refused to fall. "No way! I'm going with Ichigo! I didn't leave Soul Society just to catch a glimpse of him!" Renji nodded his agreement to her statement.

"Che, are you guys idiots? If you come with us, we will not trust you. You will also be labeled as traitors. And more people make it harder to hide! It's basically guaranteeing that we'll be hunted even more easily!" Shinji almost shouted. He picked up the hurting teen who struggled weakly. "You two need to leave now, before deciding on this insane act. You kids today are just too energetic."

"No," Renji spoke up. "We will not leave Ichigo to those he does not trust."

Shinji about argued, but stopped. He felt faint spirit energy not too far from them. Damn. They had to move. And quickly. "Fine! Just keep up, or I'll leave you behind." He abruptly turned at sprinted off, not taking to the roofs least they be spotted more easily. It wasn't long before Love, Mashiro, and Hayori caught up with them.

The three new comers tensed at the sight of the shinigami, but calmed slightly when Shinji told them about their little situation. However, eyes stayed upon the black clad companions of Ichigo.

"Is Berry-tan okay, Shinji?" Mashiro yelled at the blond Vizard.

Hayori cringed. "You idiot! Can't you keep quiet for once? We're running for our lives here, and you go and make enough noise to raise the dead."

"Hayori, you're not being any better," Love reprimanded. She turned away and went back to staring at the petite shinigami and her monkey of a partner. God, this was going to be fun.

…

Mayuri watched his cameras that surrounded the Okayama area. Nothing. There wasn't a single damned… wait.

A flash of red. Some blond. Oh! Two blonds! This was interesting. And there was the Kurosaki child. Ha! This was going to be fun! Ah. And wasn't that the Kuchiki girl and Kuchiki's subordinate, Abarai? They seemed to be—helping?—going along with the Vizards. Now, this was just too good of an opportunity to pass up.

"Nemu, it seems we have an… experiment to proceed with. I trust you'll be of help this time, you useless thing."

"Of course, Mayuri-sama."

…

Small doses. That's all it needed. The cuff would get used to his reiatsu. It was about like bacteria getting used to things that killed them. He'd introduce himself to the thing supposed to suppress him, let it get used to him, and then, and then….

Ahaha! Oh, this would be wonderful! Those idiots wouldn't suspect a thing! Not even his king knew what he was doing. The horse would rise and throw off his rider. And then, and then….

…

Ichigo watched as Hachi once again patched up his stomach.

"It's going to take longer to heal if you keep being careless, Ichigo-kun."

"It isn't as if I mean for this shit to happen. If I hadn't cut in, Shinji would have killed Rukia and Renji. I can't just watch as those idiots get cut down." There was a muffled hey from Rukia in the corner. "I saved your ass, don't give me that shit," Ichigo laughed. Then he clutched his stomach. Really smart.

"_**Nice going, king,"**_ came a whisper from his inner world. The teenager ignored it.

Hachigen chuckled at the fiery boy. "Just try to settle down a bit. We haven't gotten supplies for this place yet. And who knows when we'll have to move again. Try to rest for now. Everything should be calm for at least a few days."

Ichigo nodded. A few days would be perfect to heal up, actually eat, and bath properly! Ah, what he wouldn't do for a suitable shower! Running for two weeks was not good for the body at all. And when he had gotten to the Vizards, well, there hadn't been time for luxuries like a long shower. It had been a get in, get out juggle. Especially with his wound. Hell, Hachi had suggested giving him a sponge bath! The horror! Shiro laughed at his thoughts.

"_**King, ya really are pathetic sometimes."**_

"Shut up," the ginger growled under his breath.

…

The captain of squad 12 pinpointed his subjects' whereabouts. They hadn't been able to move too far out of the area with an injured member of their party. And that just helped the crazed scientist all the more. It was time to retrieve long overdue data from that substitute shinigami and those run away Vizards.

Maybe that old man would let him keep one or two of them so that he could continually experiment on them.

Oh the possibilities that would present!

…

_**Vanity: I hope you have enjoyed this chapter as much as I have enjoyed writing it, my lovelies. **_

_**Greed: Shut up, Van, and get to the point.**_

_**Vanity: *sigh* Alright you vulgar excuse for a writer. Please review, favorite, or follow! Hell, do all three! We would greatly appreciate it!**_

_**Greed: What she said! **_


	8. Surrounded

_**Vanity: For one, I must apologize. We have been preoccupied with another project (not one for fanfic, sadly). We wrote (and I kid you not) over 150 pages for this current story. That is how inspired we were. Just amazing. Secondly, it is time for a long overdue rant. Why, oh why do people change the genders of the characters to suit their stories? I understand the need for some people to have straight couples—and yes, you have creative leeway—but it is so so so WRONG in my opinion (sorry if this offends someone—but really, I just do not understand). I think gender-benders where the lead character turns out to be another gender are indeed funny, but no. Just no. Alright. I believe that rant is over. Thank you for your patience (unless you just skipped over this—then, by all means, fuck yourself).**_

_**Greed: FINALLY! She shuts up! Do you know how long I had to put up with that? The whole time my fingers are moving across the damned keyboard, I have this rant in my ear (head?), whatever. Most of the time I lose my train of thought. **_

_**Vanity: Train? More like rat on an exercise wheel.**_

_**Greed: Damn, you're mean today. Go take your bitch pills! Usually, you're the one telling **_me_** to be nice. Anyway, read away on our newest chapter!**_

_**Vanity: By the way, we're disappointed in you people! Hardly any reviews! Oh well, we got favorited and followed. I guess I forgive you this time, you sluts!**_

_**...**_

**Chapter 8… Surrounded**

Renji looked around the building the Vizards were using for their newest hideaway.

It looked like a hospital that was under construction. However, the construction looked like it had stopped almost a decade ago. Some of the rooms were half finished, while others had things in them—things like hospital beds, and other miscellaneous medical supplies that were in dubious states.

The blond headed Shinji and muscular Kensei had cleared out several rooms of unnecessary items.

Ichigo was currently in the cleanest room with Hachi and Rukia hovering over him. "I will say it has healed remarkably well, but if you keep up with the reckless actions, you'll have a very fine scar. This is the second time you've reopened it. I can't keep stitching you up. You'll be nothing more than a pincushion," the round man informed the teen.

"It isn't as if I choose to do this shit," Ichigo complained. "I've got people after me, and then that blond idiot that keeps attacking everything without question. It's his damned fault anyway! You should be griping at him instead of me!" The teen looked at his friend when she giggled slightly. "And you! What the hell are you doing here? Byakuya is probably pissed that you left. And with Renji! God! You two will get killed if you get caught in the cross fire."

Rukia sobered quickly and glared at her fiery friend. "We're stronger than you think, Ichigo. You have no right to underestimate us. We may not be as strong as you, but Renji and I are both lieutenants. Renji even has a bankai! Even if the Vizards are more powerful than us, regular shinigami are not a problem."

The redhead sighed. His black haired friend was too competitive when it came to fights. "I know you are strong, Rukia. But it isn't regular shinigami after me. It is Soi Fon, Mayuri, and Kenpachi that have come after me so far. All of which would not hesitate to kill Renji and you upon learning of your siding with me. I can't almost lose my friends again." There was so much pain in the young man's eyes. The petite woman had to look away.

While looking to the floor she whispered, "Well, it's too late now. They already know that we are gone. Where else would we be but with you? Besides, Byakuya knows I wouldn't abandon you to whoever you're up against. Even if it is my own organization." Her eyes rose to level with his. "I'm always here to help, Ichigo. You don't even need to ask."

Finally, a smile lit the teen's anguished features. "Thank you, Rukia."

…

A white haired figure stood over a window that acted as a floor.

The window below him featured two large eyes framed by black hair. It was a pretty face that he wanted to kill. Ichigo was so close to this woman. Shiro grumbled to himself. If Ichigo had just stayed alone with these Vizards, everything would have been perfect. Ichigo would have felt almost completely alone, and no one would have noticed subtle changes in his characteristics. Now, however, two of his closest friends were right there in front of the pale parasite's face.

"Looks like you can't take Ichigo over so easily now," a deep voice rumbled behind him.

"_**Che. It's not that big of a deal. It'll just take a lil' longer is all."**_Despite his words, the demon was upset. Ichigo had been spiraling down into despair! It would have been so much easier for his inner hollow to come out if Ichigo didn't have his normal will power. All he had to do before was protect himself—though, he was usually the type to ignore himself and protect others. Now there were two soul reapers that he would protect. Dammit all to the depths of Hell!

…

Mayuri Kurotsuchi supervised the proceedings in front of him. Three small squads had been assembled to take down the Vizards. Each team was equipped with devises to render their hollow powers useless. All developed by the captain of squad 12 and head of the Science Division, of course.

Soi Fon was barking orders to everyone, but the eccentric captain ignored that while he made sure his things were in order. Nemu was calmly and demurely standing beside her beloved 'father.' Nothing was going to make them fail this time. Ichigo was still left with half his original power and with no access to his hollow. The others would soon be reduced to little more than bugs. This time, they were prepared to capture Kurosaki and the others.

Then his eyes traveled to a less than wanted addition to the teams. Kenpachi Zaraki was standing off to the side with a strange smirk on his face and his pink haired lieutenant on his shoulder. Mayuri did not like that man. He could ruin everything for them. The brute was far too impulsive and dimwitted.

Then, three words penetrated his thoughts and made the eerie captain smile. Soi Fon had just said the thing he had been waiting for. "Let's move out."

…

Shinji made sure the premise was secure before tagging off his shift with Love. Kensei was on the other side of the building, most likely switching with Rose. Hachi had just finished making sure Ichigo was comfortable, and the girls had just gotten done training. The two shinigami had watched and were probably now going off to sleep.

Within his new room, Ichigo wasn't sleeping.

Hachi had just left with instructions to stretch before sleeping, but otherwise, no physical activity more stressful than that. His brow eyes were staring at the ceiling of the old room. He could feel his other half knocking at his consciousness.

"_**Hey, king. Are ya glad to see yer buddies?"**_

The teen sighed. "Why wouldn't I be? Besides, what do you care?"

"_**I just don't want yer body ta get hurt, king. Have you considered that they aren't here for you? They could just be trying to lead people here." **_ Shiro giggled a little bit. The thought was just too pleasing for him not to.

The redheaded boy scowled fiercely, though the one inside him couldn't see. "Why would they do that? I've saved their asses before. They are my friends. There is no way they would betray me like that."

"_**People change, king. Ya haven't really seen Rukia in almost two years, besides that time with the Ginjou mishap. Do ya really wanna risk being betrayed again?"**_ Shiro whispered horrid words to the boy he inhabited. The hollow knew Ichigo wouldn't listen to him, not really. However, this did plant a seed. No matter how small.

With those final words of doubt to the boy, his inner self allowed him to sleep.

Not even an hour later and the teen rolled over, brown eyes wide with wakefulness. He rolled out of the bed and decided that he was hungry. So, clutching his stomach, he walked out of his room in search of any kind of food. The problem was, he had no idea where the food was being kept.

He got bored with wondering around and leaned against a wall, using it to slide down to the floor.

That's how Shinji found him a few minutes later. "What the matter, strawberry-head?"

Ichigo looked up at him sharply. "What's that matter? This whole situation is what's wrong!" he raged. He looked down so Shinji didn't catch the flash of black that flickered in the teen's eyes. "My family is god knows where, the people I have trusted for over three years have suddenly turned on me, and I'm struggling to maintain any semblance of sanity! I work well when I have something to hit or slash at, but this! This is not something I ever thought I would have to be put through."

The blond man sighed. This kid really shouldn't have had to deal with such things, but life was never known to be fair. He slid down the wall to sit beside the younger man. "Listen, I went through this. Maybe not in the same way, but I did. All of us did, Ichigo. We want to help you just as much as we want to help ourselves. You just need to have a little faith in us. That may be hard to ask right now, but we're really the only ones that can help. Well, there is Urahara, but we have no idea where he is."

"Just shut up, Shinji. I know all of this. I'm working through all of this! _But this is something I do not know how to deal with."_ The last sentence slipped into a higher octave, a slightly watery tone. Shinji stood quickly and grabbed Ichigo by the neck. He dragged the teenager up the wall and looked him straight in the eyes. His black and yellow eyes. "_What are you—"_ Ichigo started, but then stopped as he really heard his voice.

"Kid, you need to calm the fuck down. This isn't healthy. And isn't that bracelet supposed to suppress your hollow? It doesn't seem to be working very well."

"I don't know what's happening!" Ichigo almost shouted. His voice was back to normal, but his eyes were still colored wrong. Anger was in his eyes instead of the tears Shinji would have expected from anyone else. "I just… I want this all to end!"

"Be careful what you wish for kid," stated a gruff voice from down the hall. Love stepped around the corner. "Shinji, we have problems. I caught sight of two shinigami weaving their way through some buildings. It looks like they're observing, but I don't know how long that will last. We need to move again."

"What!" Shinji yelled, letting Ichigo loose to fall to the floor. "Dammit! How did they find us so fast?"

"I'm not sure, but we need to get ready to fight. There is no way we can get away this time without a confrontation," Love advised. "Ichigo, I suggest you get your friends and let them protect you. And don't fight if you don't have to! You've opened your wound too many times for comfort. Hachi won't be happy with you if it happens again."

Ichigo glared at the black man, but did as he suggested. "I'll meet with you guys later then."

…

Kenpachi smiled.

Soon he would have his second chance at the ryoka boy. Hell! That chance was now! There was a shock of orange hair leaving the area right now!

The large, blood loving man's smile grew wider. He had just caught a glimpse of Kuchiki's young brat of a sister and his fiery lieutenant. It seemed he was getting a bonus for his troubles. Kenpachi looked over his shoulder at his lieutenant. "Yachiru, you comin' with me or not?" he huffed out.

"Sure, Kenny! I wanna watch you fight Ichi!" the pink haired girl gushed.

Without another word spoken, the hulking man and petite girl moved toward the retreating trio, while two shadows followed.

On the other side of the temporary fortress the Vizards had occupied, Mayuri was leading his team to surround Shinji and his group. And Soi Fon was entering a fight with Kensei and his ex-lieutenant.

Things were looking down on the criminals of Soul Society.

…

_**Greed: I know that was a bit of a lame ending, but we really couldn't think of anything else at the moment. And sorry about mistakes. We were too lazy to proofread.**_

_**Vanity: Yes, it is slightly disappointing. However! Next chapter should make up for all of that. We will finally get a glimpse into Ichigo's turmoil within his mind.**_

_**Greed: You just had to tell them, didn't ya? That was supposed to be a surprise!**_

_**Vanity: Quiet, you! The next chapter was my idea, not yours, so I have say over it. Anyway, we're feeling kind of down because no one seems to be commenting. We have several new favorites and alerts that came our way, but no reviews. We would like to know how we're doing, if you don't mind. And if you have any ideas, feel free to share! Ta-ta!**_

_**Greed: Way to leave them on a depressing note. *cringes from a glared from Van***_


	9. Points

_**Greed: Too lazy to do an actual A/N. Just read the damned story. (also too lazy to proofread. I really should get a beta. Haha)**_

**Chapter 9… Points**

**Ichigo's Point of View: this starts off where he is sitting in the floor right before Shinji finds him.**

…

I looked down at my hands resting on the floor. My nails were black. Just like Shiro's nails. What the hell was happening? This wasn't supposed to happen! Nothing was going how it was meant to. Though, I never really had plans for my future, this was not how I would have pictured it.

My little problem was easy to hide, fortunately. It wasn't like my hair was turning starch white. Shit. Actually, I hadn't really looked at my hair lately. Someone would have said something, though. Surely.

It didn't help that Shiro was feeding my negative emotions. I wasn't stupid. I knew he was just trying to throw me off my game. Whispering into the recesses of my mind. Haunting even my dreams. And I couldn't escape him. He was in my mind! HE WAS ME! And there was no getting away from that.

I wrenched my hand through my hair as I sat on the floor.

"What's the matter, strawberry-head?" a familiar voice asked.

My head jerked up to hide my black nails from Shinji. He hadn't seen them, had he? No, he hadn't. His face was full of concern. If he had seen my hand he would have been more confused.

"What's that matter? This whole situation is what's wrong!" I raged. I looked down, trying to hide my sudden irritation. My expression was probably not a pretty one. "My family is god knows where, the people I have trusted for over three years have suddenly turned on me, and I'm struggling to maintain any semblance of sanity! I work well when I have something to hit or slash at, but this! This is not something I ever thought I would have to be put through."

The blond man sighed. "Listen, I went through this. Maybe not in the same way, but I did. All of us did, Ichigo. We want to help you just as much as we want to help ourselves. You just need to have a little faith in us. That may be hard to ask right now, but we're really the only ones that can help. Well, there is Urahara, but we have no idea where he is."

"Just shut up, Shinji. I know all of this. I'm working through all of this! _But this is something I do not know how to deal with."_ Suddenly, the usually cheerful man was serious and he had be pushed up against the wall by my neck. "_What are you—" _I stopped. My voice wasn't just _my_ voice. It was my hollow's voice. It was _our_ voice.

"Kid, you need to calm the fuck down. This isn't healthy. And isn't that bracelet supposed to suppress your hollow? It doesn't seem to be working very well."

Not working well? Oh, was that the fucking understatement of the century. It seemed to be making it easier for my hollow to pop up whenever he felt the need. "I don't know what's happening!" I shouted at the man holding me to the wall. There was nothing sad within my voice. It was pure anger that colored my words. "I just… I want this all to end!"

"Be careful what you wish for kid," stated a gruff voice from down the hall. Love stepped around the corner. "Shinji, we have problems. I caught sight of two shinigami weaving their way through some buildings. It looks like they're observing, but I don't know how long that will last. We need to move again."

"What!" Shinji yelled, letting me loose to fall to the floor. "Dammit! How did they find us so fast?"

"I'm not sure, but we need to get ready to fight. There is no way we can get away this time without a confrontation," Love advised. "Ichigo, I suggest you get your friends and let them protect you. And don't fight if you don't have to! You've opened your wound too many times for comfort. Hachi won't be happy with you if it happens again."

I glared at the black man, but did as he suggested. "I'll meet with you guys later then."

…

Renji and Rukia were watching the perimeter around us as we moved forward through infiltrated space. Twice, we had happened upon shinigami with their backs to us.

There was a part of me that just wanted to run the wretches through with my sword. That part wasn't really me. It was Shiro. I knew his influence was working more and more lately. The more frustrated I was, the more _he_ came out.

Renji gave the signal that the coast was clear after rounding a corner. Rukia followed the pineapple head then I came out of the alley after her. And then it took all of two seconds for all hell to break loose.

Yumichika jumped out of nowhere to attack Rukia while Ikkaku went for Renji. I was about to help my two friends when I was broadsided by a truck. Alright, it wasn't a truck, but it sure as hell felt like one.

I shook my head and tried to climb to my feet. Kenpachi was towering over me as I attempted to catch my bearings. Yachiru was over his left shoulder. "Hi, Berry-tan! Kenny missed you lots! He wanted to fight you, because everyone else was too weak!"

"Yachiru, quiet down," Kenpachi grumbled at the small girl. "I suggest you get to a place further away so you can watch better."

"Okay, Kenny!" The pink haired terror jumped off the lumbering man's shoulder and basically flew off.

"Kurosaki, you aren't looking so good." The man's smile stretched impossibly wide as he looked down at me. I had finally gotten to my feet, but it really didn't make that big of a difference it seemed. Kenpachi was just that damned tall.

I didn't speak. I just attacked. There was no need for words when everyone knew it would all come down to a battle.

Zangetsu clashed with the Captain's nameless and rugged sword. Sparks flew as we fought to push the other back. A wicked grin fixed itself in seemingly permanent fashion upon my opponent's face. Zaraki was indeed enjoying himself. I was just desperate to beat him back. I wasn't the only one to get stronger in the two years we hadn't seen each other. The 11th division captain was fighting on level with me. Even with his eye patch in place. And I couldn't hollowfy.

I could go into bankai, however.

"Ban—"

And before I could even finish the word, Kenpachi found a way to slice through my left shoulder. My sword went slashing in retaliation. There was no thought, only action. The edge of my cleaver caught the brute on the back of his leg. He didn't flinch, just as I hadn't. However, he did turn and grin insanely at me. Funny thing is, I could feel my face do the same. And it wasn't because _I _was enjoying myself. Shiro was the cause. He was the cause of me holding the same expression as the battle loving shinigami that I fought.

"Never seen that look on yer face, Kurosaki. Never seen yer eyes black either, though. That yer hollow?" Kenpachi asked.

"That's none of your business, Kenpachi. I thought you were one for fighting, not talking."

The giant captain shrugged his broad shoulders. His sword was out to his side in a careless fashion. I took the obvious opening, but he was expecting that. "Even I have a curious side, _boy_," he said, emphasizing the last word.

I suppose he was trying to make me angry. It wasn't really working. I was already angry. Angry at myself, the shinigami, the Vizards, and whoever else I could think of. The only thing I wasn't angry at was my family. They were innocents in all of this bullshit. Everything could have been avoided if I had just not used my hollow. If Old man Yamamoto had just let my 'affliction' slide past his notice. I had always been loyal to Soul Society!

"Getsuga Tenshou!" I screamed out my frustrations. There was a slight distortion to my voice. Shiro was getting in my way again and I couldn't even tell. Well, I knew a way to shut him up.

Shiro caught that thought. "_**King! Don't ya do it! No! I will not be stuffed back into yer mind!"**_

I did it. I hollowfied.

Shiro screamed within my mind and I echoed him in the real world. But only for a second. When my hands rose to cover my ears, I forced them up to my mask and ripped it off. The bracelet had forced Shiro further back into my mind, causing his influences over me to follow him. I was free from his manipulations for a while longer.

When I looked back to Kenpachi it was with normal eyes. I rotated my head on my shoulders to try and get rid of the lingering echo of pain. "Sorry, Kenpachi. I had to get rid of an unwanted interruption."

The hulking man laughed. "It wouldn't have mattered to me if he had kept interruptin'. I would have been fighting you either way. Just a different you." Then he attacked once again.

I moved and noticed that I had less pain from my stomach wound and the slash on my shoulder. Apparently, the brief moment I hollowfied had healed me to an extent. But that split second of nauseating pain had cost me. I couldn't see well. Everything was blurry. And Kenpachi's blade hit my left leg. Not deep, but damaging all the same. A long gash of red blossom from my skin and soaked my pants.

As our swords clashed, I caught myself falling into thought as I let my reflexes and instincts fight off the monster attaching me.

I just wanted to stop. To stop fighting for those that couldn't fight for themselves. Let them become the strong ones for once. Let others protect them. Stop fighting for people that thought I was disposable. A hindrance. Something to be captured, studied, and then killed. It still didn't make any sense to me why things had ended up like this. This farce made every other mission I had ever gone on seem easy.

You know what could make this easy? I could kill every single one of these idiots that dared to turn on me!

No. that wasn't right. They were just following orders. Stupid, fucked up orders.

But, none of his real friends were here. Surely it was alright to carve up that petite girl with the stinging zanpakuto. And slice down that grinning, made-up man that put this ringing-painful-annoying devise upon my wrist. Oh, and the one that lusted after blood! He was going to kill us! Certainly self-defense was a conceivable reason to kill him. He had already injured us beyond easy repair.

Us. Why was I saying us? And why was I thinking about killing them? It wasn't an easy thing to do. To kill.

Shirosaki's influence was more encompassing than I had first thought. It had thoroughly poisoned every cell within my brain.

A particularly painful slash from Kenpachi stopped my tirade of thoughts. Kenpachi and I were about equal in terms of number of wounds. Sometime during the fray, his eye patch was either taken or torn off. And yet, I had barely started. I had let myself fight merely by going off of experience.

I moved quickly. Going for Kenpachi's throat. I had to end this. I had to get away. What was one death if it meant getting away? That was justifiable, wasn't it?

Not even two inches from the hollow of his throat and I was stopped by a pure white blade. Ice danced from where Zangestu was connect to Sode no Shirayuki. Her ice slide over his blackness. "You can't kill him Ichigo! It'll only incriminate you further!"

"And just what do you expect me to do!" I shouted at her frantically. "Give myself up? Let myself get experimented on day in and day out by Mayuri? And then I'll just eventually be killed off because I'll become too useless to even move." By the end of my speech my voice was desperate. I could not live like that. Hell, I couldn't live like this. I was made to protect the people around me. Not to run and protect myself. Not to run from those I thought were there for me. I didn't want to be murdered by those that I had put my trust into.

"No, no. Of course I don't want you to give yourself up, Ichigo. But, there has to be somethi—"

She stopped talking. Her eyes widened.

"_**I've had enough of yer mouth, midget."**_

…

_**Vanity: Cliffhanger. Yes, we went there. I'm sure you can guess what's happened, though. It isn't that hard.**_

_**Greed: Yup. So, review. Or Rukia dies. We could just let her off with severe injuries. It's up to you!**_


	10. Regret

_**Joint effort: Alright, so there seems to be confusion in the fact that Shiro is slowly able to gain control. Think, the bracelet is only a prototype. There are bound to be glitches, even if it was Mayuri who developed the thing. Also, think of it as something unnoticeable slowly moving into the open. If it is barely moving, no one notices until it is already if front of them. (this is NOT the expression we wished to use, but the one we had flew out of our heads just as we were about to type it. Figures, right? And frankly, it made a whole lot more sense than this one. Ugh! Dammit!)**_

_**Greed: I hate to break it to a certain someone that commented, but it wasn't Kenpachi that stabbed Rukia. Heehee. Sorry for not making that a bit clearer. Though, I can kinda see why you would think it was Kenpachi. Brutish thug that he is. We also got some very nice comments! Thanks, people!**_

_**Vanity: Well, here is the newest chapter. Sorry if it's confusing.**_

_**Greed: There are probably only going to be a few more chapters. We haven't really decided yet. But we'll tell you when the last chapter should come out, when we have it ready. Don't get your panties in a twist over it. **_

…

**Chapter 10… Regret**

…

"**I've had enough of yer mouth, midget."**

Rukia looked down at her stomach to see blood and a black blade stuck within the redness. Her eyes dragged their way up to the face in front of her. A wicked grin was carved upon the face of her friend and she watched as it slowly melted off.

"Rukia?" Ichigo's voice seemed to echo in her ears, but not in that sinister way it had just moments before.

She tried to speak, tell him this wasn't his fault. All she felt, though, was some liquid slide down her chin. And then darkness. So much darkness. What exactly had just happened?

…

I stabbed her. She was just trying to help! And I stabbed her.

It was her fault for getting in the middle of two swords, though.

NO! It's my fault! What am I thinking? I stabbed her.

"_**No, King. I stabbed her. We stabbed her. It wasn't just ya. I'm always there, King. We are partners,"**_ my hollow whispered. And he was so right. So damned fucking right. Those disgusting thoughts that went through my head were not just mine anymore. _**He **_had taken over to where we were thinking together. No longer completely separate.

I watched her fall. _We_ watched her fall to the ground so far below our feet. And then I didn't see anymore.

…

Shiro was laughing. Laughing _out loud! _

It seemed that Ichigo had been through too much. The strawberry's whiter version had been able to push him aside. Hopefully for a while longer than usual.

He looked back up from the fallen midget to the beast of a man in front of him. Kenpachi had a smirk on his face like he didn't even care about what happened. And he didn't. The only thing this mammoth cared about was the blood and the fight. Something the bleached out man could understand.

Insane grins marred both of their faces before they faced off once again.

…

Mayuri watched the fight that began once again after the Kuchiki girl had fallen. He sent one of the men with him to see if she was still alive, even if he didn't care.

He was very interested in the boy, however. Soi Fon was off locating the other Vizards and he had already gotten two of the women. It seemed unfair that Kenpachi got to take his time with the Kurosaki boy while everyone else was working so very hard.

The leader of the Research and Development team fingered the device in his hand. This… this would certainly turn the tides for them. There was a fail-safe in that little bracelet Ichigo still had on. And, oh, it would be spectacular to witness it firsthand. He pushed the button and watched as the red head in front of the 11th Division captain froze.

…

Shiro was having a blast. This bastard just wouldn't fall!

It would be really bad for him if this lug had the same regenerative powers that he had, though.

A quick glance at his mangled shoulder revealed a nice white coating on the wound. The same went for his leg. Even if he didn't have this ability, the big man would still look worse than him as he was dripping from his abdomen, both arms, face, and left leg. The physically imposing man was taking quite the beating, though he seemed to be enjoying their rough housing.

Shiro laughed and put a hand to his newly masked forehead and then pulled his hand through the shaggy orange locks that belonged to his host. Something wet met his hand and he was delighted to find that it was blood when he pulled his hand back into view. "Well," he seemed to moan in pleasure in that crude voice of his, "I'd love to continue, but I have other things to do. I plan on seeing if that midget is still alive so that I can devour her. Maybe even that lovely little Inoue girl." The white man shivered in enjoyment as he didn't even get a rise out of the oranget within his mind. The boy was completely numb after stabbing that annoying bitch.

The hollowfied shinigami was about to deliver the final blow what he froze. Kenpachi likewise stopped his advance at the confused look that masked man gave him. "What's wrong, berry? Suddenly lost your nerve?"

_Far from it,_ the inner hollow thought. He was being pushed back by pain so intense it was paralyzing him. Soon the body he had possession of started to fall to the ground so far below him.

As he, _they,_ hit the ground, creating a crater within the pavement, a scream escaped _their _mouth. It was a horrible mix of human and hollow, sometimes switching so that it was one or the other. The combination was soul wrenching. Surely nothing on this earth or within any other realm should make a sound like that.

Soon, Mayuri was there. He was smiling gleefully at his newest experiment. And it was a wonderful thing that he had installed that failsafe. He had a feeling since he had never experimented upon a Vizard, that something could go wrong. It was a good thing he had upgraded the bands that were to go on the other Vizards. It rendered the other Vizards in a comatose state, because the sound they emitted to give the hollows pain was constant. They went off at the slightest trace of hollow power. It was delicious!

Kenpachi landed beside the demented doctor. "You just ruined my fun," he grumbled.

"Yeah!" Yachiru said, suddenly popping up on Kenpachi's shoulder. "Kenny was having fun with Berry-tan!"

The captain for squad 12 sneered at the two inferior shinigami. "You were going to continue damaging my subject if you proceeded. I had to intervene. Besides, our orders were to bring him back as soon as possible. I just did it sooner rather than later."

Kenpachi huffed, wanting nothing more than to slice the man's head off, but he refrained. Contrary to what many thought, he wasn't stupid. He just loved a good fight. The gruff man turned to the red head laying, no, writhing on the ground.

Ichigo was still screaming. "The hell did you do to him?"

The creepy scientist smiled severely and held up a remote device. "It's a failsafe in case the initial repression method didn't work completely." He pressed a button and the Kurosaki boy quieted. However, he was panting heavily and his eyes were rolled back into his head. Unconscious. "Now, Kenpachi, why don't you be so kind as to carry the boy? Soi Fon should be rounding up the rest of the Vizards. We need to prepare the Sekaimon for when they arrive."

Kenpachi grumbled at being ordered around but did just what Mayuri said. It was a shame, though. The boy would probably be killed for being a Vizard, and Kenpachi wouldn't be able to fight with him anymore. He hefted Ichigo over his shoulder and Yachiru proceeded to poke and prod the poor boy while he was insensible. Time to go back to Soul Society.

…

Shinji watched as Love and Hachi were subdued. Rose and he had gotten away along with Kensei, but two of the girls hadn't been able to escape Kurotsuchi. Even the fiery Hayori hadn't made it out of that Hornet's clutches. It made him wonder what the fuck was going on.

Everyone was going down so easily. None of it made any sense. While they were up against captains, it shouldn't have mattered much since there were more of the Vizards. And yet they all fell like flies. Even Ichigo.

The blond had flash stepped over to see the strawberry's fall and then the screaming. He even witnessed the kid getting taken away by that freak scientist and the hulking man. Almost everyone was down for the count, and now they were being hauled to Soul Society for what was presumably their execution.

It wasn't right! It wasn't fair. And they were damned well going to do something about it.

Kensei, Rose, and Shinji needed reinforcements. They couldn't go into Soul Society alone with whatever the shinigami had against the Vizards. It just wasn't practical. It may take a while to find who they were looking for, but, if everything worked out, it would be in time to save everyone.

…

_**Vanity: Sorry if the back and forth was confusing. It's meant to be, at least a little. It is to portray the confusion of battle. What's happening on all sides. The next chapter should be a bit more… stable in that sense. **_

_**Greed: Shut up and get to the close.**_

_**Vanity: You could have done it, you know. Anyway, please read and review. We would love to know how we are doing. **_


	11. Mercy

_**Greed: Okay… this is almost the last chapter! I know, sad day. However, I've gotten fed up with this story. Every time I go to write it, I lose the story line. Even my notes don't seem to make sense anymore. Besides, Vanity and I have gotten another idea or two. Also, we're going to try something different. We were going to sit down and update this story every week or so, but it didn't work out. So, now we'll just write the damn story and finish it and then update it that way. It sounds a lot better than what we have been doing. **_

_**Vanity: Yes, well, we did try. However, it seemed life wished to take up most of our time. Stress and what not. On to the story now. Please tell us how you like it and if you would like more to the story or have a suggestion as to another chapter, just tell us. Soon, an alternate ending will be up for our other story, Sanitarium, as suggested by an enthusiastic reviewer. **_

_**Greed: So, read, enjoy, and review!**_

_**Vanity: And just so you know and are not confused, there are new captains taking the place of the ones that defected, seeing as I'm not going with the storyline of the present manga. They will not be named because Ichigo doesn't really know them. Also, they aren't really important, I just thought I would inform you of that little tidbit of information. **_

…

**Chapter 11… Mercy**

…

The 13 squads of Soul Society were in upheaval.

Ichigo Kurosaki was considered a hero to many of the shinigami, including some of the captains and lieutenants. And now he was sitting in front of the Head Captain and his Vice Captain.

"Do you have anything to say, Vizard?" Old Man Yamamoto asked of the redhead before him. Silence was his answer. "You are being tried for the attempted murder of Rukia Kuchiki, running from Soul Society, aiding the traitors we have been after for over a century, and harboring a hollow. I'll ask again, do you have anything to say?"

Two different eyes looked up at the old man. One was a chocolate brown and the other was amber swimming in a sea of black. His arms were bound behind his back and a collar was around his throat. No spiritual pressure leaked from the new adornment as it was made specifically for the substitute shinigami. "You ask if I have anything to say? I think you are asking the wrong person! What do you have to say for causing all of this? This is entirely your fault! None of this would have happened if you had just LEFT ME ALONE!" the teen shouted, anger and horror in his voice. The remaining captains looked at the boy in front of them. He was restrained by four of Soi Fon's men, each staying near him in case one of the Kidos binding him failed. There would be no mistakes with this boy. "None of this had to happen! Rukia would be okay! My hollow wouldn't have come out like that! Can you honestly live with yourselves thinking that you had no hand in what happened?" Ichigo continued. His eyes met with every Captain's eyes in that room. It was easy to see the regret in some of their eyes.

It upset Ichigo that these people were willing to be within the meeting area. Ukitake and Shunsui weren't present, and neither were Hitsugaya nor his lieutenant. The teenager didn't even see the soft spoken, yet scary Unohana. However, he understood up to a point. Really, it was only the unmasked Komamura and Byakuya that showed any really emotion, the latter hiding it very well. The captains taking the place of those that had defected during the Aizen fiasco weren't people that Ichigo could really peg, seeing as he didn't really know them.

"Ignorant child," the Head Captain spoke and commanded all attention. "You do not deserve to judge me. All I wish for is the safety of the human world and this world. If I judge that something is a danger that danger must be dealt with. We have in our custody all but three of the Vizards you were with along with Renji Abarai, ex-Vice-Captain of the 6th squad. Rukia Kuchiki is being looked after by Unohana, but will be detained once she is healed. I suggest you rein in any less than savory thoughts before your sentence is extended. By the looks of things, you are more of a danger now then you have ever been, lacking in even the tiniest bit of control."

The boy was at a loss for words. It was his fault that the Vizards had been captured. It was even his fault that Rukia and Renji were in trouble. But it was _their _fault that everything had fallen apart. "I had perfect control before you saw fit to strap some strange devise on my wrist and left me to run from the swords of your shinigami! I am only 17 and yet you set your men after me like wolves and I had to fend for myself. Why do you think I would just come here of my own free will to face certain death when I have saved and befriended so many here? I am not some criminal that you should have to lock away or put down like a rabid dog."

"Enough!" the head captain shouted. "Detain the Vizard. We'll have his trial in thirty days."

…

Shinji moved through the streets of a strange town and slowly let his spiritual pressure leak out of his body. If Kisuke was here like he guessed, the strange blond would come running.

Urahara had left subtle clues at the Shoten about his whereabouts should he need to be found by Ichigo or Isshin. It wasn't two hard to piece together if you really knew the guy. He left little trinkets in odd places from three different places. He was bound to be in one of them. And, knowing how strange the shop owner was when he was a captain, Shinji guessed the tackiest place possible was his destination. So, here they were, Kensei, Rose and Shinji, standing in Kyoto, Japan. Kisuke had probably wanted to see Nijo Castle, the foolish twat.

Hopefully, the lightly leaked spiritual pressure wouldn't alert any wondering shinigami. It would most like feel like a very low level hollow if they didn't pay much attention to it. There were always bigger fish to fry.

Kensei tensed as he caught a movement on his side of the small group. "Company," he whispered to his companions.

"Ah! Shinji-san! So good to see you again. It's been, what? A hundred years or so?"

"Give or take a decade, you lunatic," Shinji snapped before reining himself in. "We have a serious problem. Ichigo and the others have been captured along with two shinigami that were helping the kid. Both of them were lieutenants. I need to get them out of Seireitei. They could be sentenced to death for evading Soul Society for over a century."

"Then you are in luck, Shinji-san. I have a few helpers in my new shop that are more than willing to help out. Follow me," Urahara said as he flared out his fan to cover his face.

When they arrived at the new shop, Shinji wasn't surprised that it looked exactly like the old one. He was surprised, however, when he saw some people he would never expect in the formal area of the shop, sipping on tea. Hitsugaya and his lieutenant were seated at the table along with Yoruichi and Isshin.

Two shinigami were in the presence of three Vizards and were not attacking. It had to be a trick or a miracle.

"What is going on, Urahara," Hitsugaya questioned the bubbly ex-captain. "Who are these men?"

"They're like Ichigo. Vizards. You're too young to remember what happened 110 years ago in Seireitei, but they were hunted down as criminals for their accidental hollow powers. Just like Ichigo is being hunted now. You came to me to help Ichigo, correct?" he asked, though he didn't wait for an answer as he continued. "Well, they have friends that were captured alongside of the young substitute soul reaper. I'm sure you saw a few of them." The frost headed captain nodded. "These men wish to help Ichigo and their friends. Just like you wish to help Ichigo Kurosaki."

"Shinigami want to help a Vizard?" Shinji asked suspiciously. "Why would you wish to do that?"

Hitsugaya huffed out an annoyed breath. "Kurosaki has helped us on many occasions. Why wouldn't we wish to help him?"

The tiny captain's lieutenant spoke up after him. "Besides, we aren't the only ones that wish to help. Once Soi Fon realized that Yoruichi wanted to help Ichigo, she instantly came aboard. Captains Ukitake and Shunsui are making sure that Ichigo isn't sentenced too early so that we have time to get to them. Byakuya has a debt to Ichigo, so we got his help, even if it is just minor interference for the extraction. Rukia and Renji should have waited to make contact, but we have Kenpachi to convince. Our main problems will be Mayuri, Komamura and the three new captains. Unohana did not wish to be pulled into any civil war, though she wished to help those that are injured, no matter the side." Hitsugaya looked almost shocked at his bubbly lieutenant's speech.

"Thank you for putting that so eloquently, Matsumoto," frost head stated coldly after recovering from his shock. "It is as she has said. We have many people that wish to aid us within Soul Society. I'm sure they will not be averse to rescuing a few more people. We need to get Renji and Rukia too. I suppose you will need a few others with you so that you can get your people more easily. Mayuri is supposedly watching over them. You'll need people with you that won't be subdued by those bracelets the man has developed."

Shinji nodded in agreement. He had watched how those devises affected everyone with hollow powers. They were quick to incapacitate and cripple. "We'll need just three more people. If they can help us keep those devises off of us, we'll be good."

"Then I suppose we have ourselves the beginning of a plan," Urahara piped up.

…

_**Vanity: So, we stopped this here because we have just planned for two more chapters. Yes, two more. And that is it. The second chapter will be more of an epilogue rather than a full length chapter (though our chapters are rather short anyway). **_

_**Greed: We'd like you to review with your thoughts, please. But no flames. We'll burn you back so bad it'll feel like a cannon ball knocked you through three walls.**_

_**Vanity: Stop being so crude. Anyway, the next chapter should be up next week. Though, no promises. We haven't had much luck in updating this story on time.**_


	12. Complications

_**Greed: What's up! See, we're hoping this isn't late. (We've written everything in advance and we aren't changing it unless something really important pops up!) **_

_**Vanity: So, we hope you enjoy this lovely little chapter we have put together. No spoilers for you, though. We just aren't that nice (or mean in some peoples' opinion).**_

_**Greed: Read and review motherfudruckers! We get all tingly when we get a review, if you know what I mean. Ahaha.**_

_**Vanity: Vulgar idiot.**_

_**Greed: You love me!**_

…

**Chapter 12… Complications**

…

Ichigo wasn't sure what was happening, and Shiro wasn't helping much. The bastard was doing everything in his power to keep at least half control of their shared body. His useless cackling was beginning to grate on Ichigo's nerves.

_"Would you shut up for even two seconds? Something's happening outside and I can't hear a damned thing thanks to you."_

"**Gahaha! You're such a dope, King! That's the sound of fighting. I wonder if they've finally gotten fed up with each other and started killing off everyone."**

_That wasn't possible_, Ichigo thought to himself. The only thing he could think of was that Shinji was trying to save his friends. He knew that Shinji was one of the ones not captured because he was too crafty to be caught. He sighed and started his newest routine. Trying to find a way to get those nasty devises off of his arm and neck.

…

Shinji was right in the middle of fighting off one of the newest captains. The fucker was just too annoying.

The blond man was about to pull out his mask when a large brute came barreling out of nowhere right into his opponent.

Kenpachi stood after tackling the other captain, holding the smaller man up in the air by his throat. The man was unconscious, causing Kenpachi to huff out a breath of annoyance and drop him. "That wasn't fun at all."

"You're right. It was annoying," Shinji agreed. Kenpachi grinned at the skinny man and laughed. "Now, where is Mayuri? Wasn't he supposed to be the one guarding this section? We can't have any more surprises if we're going to get everyone out like planned."

Kenpachi shrugged and Yachiru giggled. "Mad Scientist Man must be experimenting. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't even noticed that something's wrong," the girl squealed.

Shinji rolled his eyes. "Can we just get a move on?" he asked.

"Sure! Kenny will get Scientist Man. You find Berryhead and the others!" Yachiru shouted as Kenpachi took off toward the 12th division barracks. Shinji just rolled his eyes and headed toward the barrack where the prisoners were kept. Hopefully everyone would be there.

…

Ichigo bristled as the door to his cell opened. This was the first time someone had come to his door in the two days he had been here.

When the door swung open, it revealed the lunatic scientist Mayuri Kurotsuchi. Without thinking, without even realizing what was happening, Ichigo had lunged at the makeup wearing man, only to drop to the floor after the first step, garbled voice screaming in pain.

"That wasn't very smart, Kurosaki. Or am I speaking with the other one? Ah, this is such a rare opportunity. I've never had a Vizard as my subject before." The man cackled crazily as he approached the panting boy. "It's too bad you are already mentally unstable, however. I would have liked to see what you were like healthier. Ah well. I can always ask to have one of the others. I'm sure no one will miss them."

Ichigo tried to move as the 12th Division Captain drew closer. His body would respond to any commands, though.

"Ah, I see you're having problems. Nemu! Help the Kurosaki boy to the lab. We have experiments to run. And we only have about a month to do them. After that they'll probably kill the boy," Mayuri scoffed. "I don't know why they won't just let me keep him here. We could produce a clone," he mused as his 'daughter' pulled Ichigo up from the floor. "They could kill it and we could keep him. No one would ever know. He'll probably be almost dead by the time we're done; no one would see the difference."

Nemu kept quiet throughout the whole tirade. Ichigo could barely keep his feet even with the girl's support. The thought of being in this man's clutches was worse than any hell. Ishida had told him what he had wanted to do to Orihime, and that had apparently been the light version because she was female. It wouldn't do him any good to be with this man for a long period of time. Hell, even just this little bit of time was too much.

'_**King, we need to get out of here,' **_his hollow supplied, not helping in the least.

_'I know that. I KNOW that! But you did this. You attacked him and now we won't be able to move for a while. You're the one that needs to think more before he acts, Shiro. I don't know what to do. This isn't good." _Ichigo was starting to panic. Things had never been so bad. So bad as to rip him away from his family, rip his family from their home. Rukia was hurt and Renji and the other Vizards were captives of Soul Society. He was going to be experimented on. Pain he could handle in the heat of battle. This wasn't battle. This was pure torture and Kurotsuchi hadn't even started yet.

_'__**Calm down, King. Yer startin to hyperventilate. I'll help ya out. I'll stop some o' the pain.'**_ Ichigo couldn't believe it. It sounded as if his hollow was actually trying to help. '_**I can even take over. Ya won't even feel a thing.'**_ There it was. The play for total control, and it was so tempting. Ichigo wasn't going to give in, though.

'_Shut up, Shiro. Just… just shut up.' _His copy didn't answer.

It didn't take much longer for them to reach the lab. Nemu promptly dragged the teenager over to a metal table and straightened him out so that his limbs lined up with the straps. A minute later and the teen was fully restrained. It only took a few minutes more for him to regain the use of his fatigued body. He didn't bother pulling at his bonds. He was too weak to get away right now. Maybe, maybe if he could get stronger he could get out and save the others. Rukia, Renji, and the Vizards that had gotten captured with him.

Mayuri watched the boy as he got ready for the first experiment. He grabbed a scalpel and then moved closer to the boy. The captain chuckled making the boy glance up at him sharply. He seemed to pale at the sight of the knife. "Nemu, remove his shirt and give him a dose of that new drug I've been working on. I think that one will work nicely." He turned back to the boy on his examination table. "It's something that will allow you to feel pain. It slows down blood flow and even keeps you conscious. Wonderful mixture, just wonderful."

The orange headed boy closed his eyes as Nemu cut his shirt off. Just moments after the fabric was pulled away, something cold pressed into the inside of his elbow. He flinched, not being able to help himself as cold liquid rushed through his veins. The drug itself was almost agony inducing. It caused a cold burning within his blood.

"In pain already? That dose shouldn't have bothered you so much." Mayuri laughed again. Then he lowered the scalpel to rest right below the teen's ribs and applied pressure and dragged down. Ichigo almost didn't scream. However, as his stomach was cut open, he couldn't hold back the terrified sound.

Shiro was whispering in his head. '_**I can get us out, just give in. Let me loose. Ya know I can heal us faster. Let me free. Let Me Free. LET ME FREE, KING!'**_ It was a shout in his head that just echoed in his skull as the pain seemed to go on for hours. Ichigo no longer knew what Mayuri was doing after the first or second cut. Everything was blending in together and it was getting harder and harder to not give into that voice. The voice that was now almost soothing. '_**I can take the pain away, King. Let me free. You can sleep. Forever if you want. Just let go.'**_ It wasn't screaming at him anymore and that made it so easy. So easy to sink down into that voice.

And that's what delirious boy did. That voice finally convinced him. He couldn't remember the reason why it would be bad to let that voice out.

Mayuri continued on with his work and didn't realize that the boy's demeanor had changed until he opened his eyes. Both were a shining gold engulfed in black. Kurotsuchi didn't really put much thought into the change until the boy started to thrash uncontrollably. The restrains—both arms and legs, head, chest, and abdomen—should have made movement virtually impossible. Now he couldn't get his work done. "Nemu! You stupid girl! You should have strapped him down more," the man yelled at his 'daughter.' As he turned to physically reprimand her, a screeching sound filled the lab. Mayuri looked back to see Kurosaki's hand freed and reaching for the straps holding down the rest of his body.

He tried to restrain the reaching arm, but was shoved into the wall with impossible force. In the few seconds it took him to get back to the boy's side, said boy had pulled everything but his legs free and those only took him a second more to rip apart. By this time a mask, complete with horns and two bold, red strips down the face, was facing the 12th Division Captain. Its mouth was open, and its skull mask seemed to hold an expression of deep anger.

And then a scream, a howl of such rage, filled the small space.

The monster rushed the two shinigami within the room, aiming for the Captain first. Mayuri didn't even have time to call on his Bankai to save himself. Before he could even get the second syllable to form, his head was bashed into a table holding different liquids in glass and metal containers. That ever present grin of his had finally been wiped away, though the hollowfied teen didn't really think of such things. He thought of hunger and rage and destruction.

Hunger was first, though. And shinigami were wonderful meals.

…

Zaraki was in the 12th division labs. When he raced into the one Yachiru thought Mayuri may have been in he was met with an empty room. As he was about to say something to his pink haired menace of a vice-captain, a howl ripped through the building, making the walls shuddered with its force.

The large man turned with a wide grin on his face. He now knew where Mayuri was. That had to be something he had caused. The man must have had one of the Vizards in his hands to make such a racket.

He took off in that direction, no longer needing advice from the sometimes infuriating little girl on his back.

When he finally entered Kurotsuchi's lab he found the strange captain to be nowhere in sight. What was in sight, however, was a long, orange haired, humanoid hollow facing an emotionless Nemu. The creature, Ichigo, advanced. When he was close enough to the lieutenant, his hand shot out and into her chest. The woman gasped and blood fell from her mouth, but she didn't struggle. She waited patiently as he devoured her, sucking her reiatsu dry. After a moment her body disintegrated into nothing.

Yachiru chose that time to pop up over Kenpachi's shoulder. "Yay! We found Berry head!" she exclaimed. The hollowfied Ichigo snapped his head to look at the source of the voice. Shaded golden eyes narrowed and the mask seemed to hold a cautious expression, body language adding to the faux show of emotion. Then, muscles bunched and the hollow leapt for the beast of a shinigami in front of him.

Kenpachi dodged the rushing Vizard and removed his eye-patch at the same time. The following flood of spiritual pressure caused the hollow to up his already terrifying reiatsu. The resulting crash of power crumbled the stone of the Science Department causing the whole of the building to collapse. As the building fell, Ichigo was already turning back toward Kenpachi. The 11th squad captain almost didn't move in time to dodge the blow that would have landed on his back, dangerously close to his pink haired lieutenant. The small girl turned a blank eyed stare to the hollowfied teen before almost launching herself at the threat. Before she could act, though, Kenpachi grabbed her and thrust her in the opposite direction. No words were needed to tell her to get out of the way.

Yachiru shot off in the direction she was thrust, reverting back to her giggly self as if nothing had happened.

Ichigo didn't even bother to go after the girl since there was a much larger source of reiatsu right in front of him. He opened his skeletal mouth and let out a long, intimidating howl. He'd have this shinigami as a meal. The other two just weren't enough. Maybe this large source of power would fill the emptiness. The howl stopped and silence filled the once noisy air. It was like being deaf after hearing perfectly, this abrupt stillness.

The orange headed Vizard didn't stay still for long after letting go of that horrendous sound. He once more lunged toward his prey. And the prey lunged back at him.

Kenpachi went at the teenager with his serrated sword, meeting the Vizard's black blade and making sparks fly. The duo separated for a mere second before going at each other once more. The swords were halfway forgotten as they each went to mark the other with fists and claws and kicks. The dark haired captain started to make a move toward the hollowfied teenager as he rushed passed him, missing severing the man's arm by centimeters. He had his sword under the boy's chin and then he was gone. The bastard was playing with him it seemed.

The smaller male appeared behind the larger male a split second later. Just as he was about to end their game, hands and swords were everywhere, forcing him down out of the air and onto the ground.

"Kenpachi, you ass! You were supposed to inform us of his whereabouts if you found him!" a blond Vizard yelled at the overgrown captain. Shinji looked at the fallen Ichigo. The boy was desperately trying to claw his way to freedom. However, with several captains, Vizards, and other shinigami helping to hold down the volatile Ichigo, he wasn't going anywhere soon. "Get restraints on him. Kido and reiatsu suppressants. Whatever you can find. We're going back to the world of the living."

He looked to his companions, all of those they had gotten out of the prison barracks and even Rukia, who was in Renji's arms. Everyone was looking at the teen that had been forced to the ground. No, he had been forced to live a life that he hadn't been ready for. Soul Society had forced a boy of seventeen to run for his life, starve, fight, and give up his very humanity to stay alive. They had even forced him to kill. Even for a grown man or woman, all of that would have been too much. It wasn't a surprise to anyone that Ichigo had become this… _thing_ once more to survive. The world was ugly. And sometimes, you had to be just as ugly to survive it.

…

_**Greed: So, thoughts? What do you think about that? Don't worry, that's not the end end. Okay? We're making an epilogue to finish it off.**_

_**Vanity: Sorry that we dislike happy endings. We're not the most optimistic of people. We'll get back to you with the actual ending in a while. Hope you enjoyed this lovely chapter as much as we did. Review with your thoughts. (And don't say we disappointed you with a dreary ending to this chapter. No one said it would be a happy one.) Until next time.**_


	13. Two Years Later

_**Vanity: So, we had a review say 'since there is an epilogue that means there is a sequel, right?' Sorry. That's not right. What you are thinking of is a prelude into the next 'book' or 'installment.' An epilogue is just a conclusion to the story. We may or may not make a sequel to this. It all depends on whether or not we get the inspiration to do so. Anyway, we are so happy that you all have enjoyed reading this just as much as we have enjoyed writing it. **_

_**Greed: Have fun with the last chapter! We know we did...**_

_**...**_

**Epilogue… Two Years Later and Everything Still Hurts**

…

We couldn't just continue to keep him like this, Shinji thought as he watched the hollow—no, that was Ichigo—try to move around in its restraints. They were cracking again. Fragile, hairline fractures were becoming more and more visible as days passed. He didn't think replacing them would be very smart. Last time Ichigo's shackles had broken, all hell had broken loose and several people had been injured. Shinji himself had nearly died. It wasn't a good idea for them to get anywhere near the teen. No, man. The boy that once held a place among the Vizards and shinigami was now nearly twenty years old. It was easy to forget that. Easy to forget that he was a person under that mask. It was easy to forget that this might be just as reversible as the first time he transformed into a beast such as this. But, no one could figure out what to do. No one could figure out how to help this… hollow besides just throwing in small fry hollows for him to live off. It was as if the only thing they could do was keep him as a pet. A dangerous pet that was starving and nearly able to escape it's shaky confines.

The blond sighed as he stared at the long, fiery red hair settled on the floor of the younger Vizard's cell.

If they didn't find something to do with Ichigo soon, they would have to get rid of the boy. And his father wasn't going to like that at all. Shinji looked beside him to said father. No, he thought again, this man wouldn't want his son to die after fighting so hard to survive. However, if Ichigo escaped those failing bonds, it was him or everyone else.

…

**Ichigo/Shiro…**

It hurt. Everything hurt. We needed something, anything to get rid of the pain. Starving. That's what this was. We were starving and there was no _food_ around.

No, that wasn't true. There was plenty of food around. We just couldn't eat it. We wanted to eat it, but couldn't. Oh no, we tried and tried. But we couldn't see, couldn't move without motivation. The morsels—tiny, tiny hollows—that found their way inside to us were not enough. It was too little to sate our ever growing appetite. They barely made us wish to move in order to find them.

We breathed in the air around us. We couldn't see, but we could smell. And we wanted what we could smell. So badly. There were two very wonderful smells so, so close. And. We. Wanted. Them. Now.

Move. Our body twitched. Move. A clawed hand flattened to the ground we were splayed on. _Move._ A little leverage and we were working our way up. _**Move.**_Our legs could hold our weight. We knew they could. _** MOVE!**_ Crack. That was those horrid things that kept us weak, unmoving, unseeing, unfeeling, and just hungry. No, starving. And now we were free from them. We could see and what we saw was mouthwatering.

A shinigami and a Vizard, our mind supplied the words. It didn't really matter, though. All we needed to know was that they were ours to feed on. Our power came alive around us and crashed those bugs to the floor. We moved closer. Closer still. And stopped. There was something in our way. Claws scratched at the surface of whatever was in our way.

No! No! This couldn't stop us from our first decent meal in ages! This couldn't stop—

"Son." The word stopped us. That word. It meant something to us. What was it, what was it what was it whatwasitwhatwasit?! Stop. Calm. Can't eat yet, but don't worry. We can wait. We can always wait. "Son, look at me."

Our eyes. My eyes swiveled toward the sound coming from the dark haired shinigami's mouth. That rage that was always around wasn't consuming us/me right now. That emptiness, the never ending hunger, had retreated a bit.

And then, I remembered what I was. I remembered that my life wasn't about death, wasn't supposed to be about death and hunger. I wasn't this thing that was based on instinct. _I _wasn't a hollow. I was a Vizard, a shinigami, and a human.

I crashed to my knees, claws scrambling at the mask that hid my humanity and pain and rage. I wasn't weak anymore. I had spent so much time trying to not be weak, that I had almost forgotten that I had been running and training to help myself. Giving in to Shiro had not been to just escape everything. It had been to grow stronger. Even though I had been weak when Shiro made that offer, I was no longer weak. I couldn't be this weak. So, I fought to gain control again, after so long. It would have been easy to slip back into my mind with Zangetsu and Shiro, continuing our battle that didn't seem to have an end. However, I wasn't one to do things the easy way.

My mask fell away in chunks. The armor encasing my skin started to crumble with the destruction of my mask. Everything fell apart as if it had never been. The hole in my chest filled itself out as flesh once again. The only thing that stayed was my hair. It was long and tangled, hanging limply over my shoulders. It reminded me that Shiro wasn't far from the surface. Something about me willingly giving him control had shifted the balance so that we were once again almost equally in control. It was how it had been before being taken to Soul Society. An unstable state of being in control.

**"Don't worry, King. I'll always be 'ere to help things along," **Shiro cackled as he made the statement about our tenuous relationship. I'm sure he wanted to push me off one of the buildings in our inner world rather than help me along. The bastard always knew what to say.

I looked up and saw my dad first, Shinji second. Goat face was the first to react to my gaze. He hurried over and pulled me into a bone crushing hug. Shinji came over after another moment. "I can't believe you're back." That's it. That's all he said. And it was all he needed to say.

…

I soon found that the Vizards were back in hiding along with a few new shinigami ex-captains and lieutenants as company. Soul Society had called off any searches it had previously had for them. Apparently that was largely thanks to Shunsui and Ukitake who were still in Soul Society. It was also counted as a waste of resources.

Urahara had set up shop again in a new town. My family had also started up another clinic not too far away. Two years had passed while I was a hollow. Two years I had missed as I hungered and starved and raged as a hollow. Karin and Yuzu had never seen me as a hollow, and for that I was grateful. They were lights in my sometime dark world. And, while everything was starting back up for me, their spinning worlds help put mine on its track.

Everything else could wait right now. Life outside of me and my immediate surrounding could wait. It could freeze for all I cared. After so long, I wasn't hungry, empty, or angry. I may have felt dark and dull every now and then, but it was nowhere close to that hollow feeling of being… Hollow.

_**"Hollow is never a good way to feel. It's just a way to survive."**_

…

_**Vanity: And there you have it. The finale of Unexpected Betrayal. We actually had the ending planned out for some time we just couldn't get here and be happy with it. Sorry it took us so long.**_

_**Greed: Hopefully it was worth it. While it's not a Happily-Ever-After ending, it's pretty damn good in our own opinion. We had fun writing this story and reading all the reviews we've gotten. Thanks for supporting us throughout this project.**_


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